JOHN  R. 
CARLING 


DUKE  UNIVERSITY 

LIBRARY 


The  Glenn  Negley  Collection 
of  Utopian  Literature 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2010  with  funding  from 
Duke  University  Libraries 


http://www.archive.org/details/doomedcityOOcarl 


She  drew  that  charming  old-world  historian   iVoni   her  little 
library  and  read  to  him  day  by  day 


Page  164 


The  Doomed  City 


By 


JOHN   R.   CARLING 

Author  of  "The  Shadow  of  the  Czar,"  '"By  Neva's  Waters, 
"The  Viking's  Skull" 


Illustrations  by 
A.  FORESTIER 


New  York 
Edward  J.  Clode 

Publisher 


COPTRIOHT,   1910,   BT 

EDWARD     J.    CLODE 


Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTEB  PAGE 

I.  A  Mysterious  Wedding 1 

II.  The  Banquet  of  Florus 18 

III.  The  Queen  of  Beauty 30 

IV.  The  Dream  of  Crispus 48 

V.  Simon  the  Zealot 60 

VI.  "  Delenda  est  Hierosolyma!  ".      ...  71 

VII.  The  Journey  to  Jerusalem       ....  83 

VIII.  What  Happened  in  the  Royal  Synagogue  95 

IX.  "Let  Us  Go  Hence!" 112 

X.  The  Vengeance  of  Florus        .      .      .      .124 

XI.  "  To  Your  Tents,  O  Israel!  "  .      .      .      .135 

XII.  "V^    Victis!" 147 

XIII.  A  Good  Samaritan 160 

XIV.  "  Thou  Wilt  Never  Take  the  City  "        .170 
XV.  The  Triumph  of  Simon 181 

XVI.  The   Ambition   of    Berenice     ....  198 

XVII.  The  Making  of  an  Emperor      ....  210 

XVIII.  The  Preliminaries  of  a  Great  Siege      .  228 

XIX.  The  First  Day's  Fight 241 

XX.  CiRCUMVALLATION 258 

XXI.  The   Dying  City 266 

XXII.  The  Rescue  of  Vashti 290 

XXIII.  Closing  In 306 

XXIV.  "Watchman,  What  of  the  Night?"       ,  325 
XXV.  "JuD^A  Capta!" 341 

XXVI.  Justice  the  Avenger      .      .      ,      ,      .      .  354! 

V 


Twv  (TTparioiTwv  tis  AAIMONIO  OPMH  TINI  XPfiMENOS 
apird^u  fikv  ck  T17S  <^Xeyo/xevT/s  vXrj^,  to  8c  irvp  ivLrjitr 
Ovpihi  xpv(ry   rov  ttpov. 


A   certain   soldier,    moved   by   a    divine   impulse,  seized 

a  blazing  torch,  and  set  fire  to  a  golden  window  of  the 

temple. 

JOSEPH  US.    Jewish  War  vi.  4,  5. 


THE  DOOMED  CITY 


CHAPTER  I 

A  MYSTERIOUS  WEDDING 

THE  purple  light  of  evening  had  fallen  upon 
the   Syrian   shore  as   Crispus,  with   a  quick, 
swinging  pace,  trod  the  well-paced  road  that 
led  southwards  to  the  stately  city  of  Cassarea, 
the  Roman  capital  of  Judaea. 

Evidently  he  loved  the  exercise  of  walking,  since, 
had  it  pleased  him  to  do  so,  he  could  have  ridden, 
for  at  a  respectable  distance  there  followed,  led  by  a 
couple  of  slaves,  his  two-horsed  rheda,  a  traveling-car 
of  sculptured  bronze,  provided  with  a  leathern  hood  and 
silken  awnings,  and  containing  such  necessary  luggage 
(aptly  named  impedimenta  by  the  Romans)  as  a  man 
of  simple  tastes  would  require  on  a  long  journey. 

Crispus,  whose  age  was  perhaps  twenty-five  years, 
had  a  powerful  yet  graceful  figure,  eyes  of  a  deep  gray, 
crisp  hair  of  a  bronzed  hue,  and  a  handsome  face,  as 
clear  cut  as  if  sculptured  from  marble,  a  face  whose 
pure  complexion  spoke  of  pure  living — a  raro  virtue  in 
that  age ! — a  face  whose  keen,  ardent  look  gave  promise 
that  its  owner  was  one  born  to  achieve  distinction,  if 
indeed  he  had  not  already  achieved  it.  "  An  antique 
Roman,"  one  would  say  on  seeing  him,  since  he  still 
adhered  to  the  wearing  of  the  stately  toga,  which  in 
the  first  century  was  fast  becoming  superseded  by  the 
Grecian  tunic ;  moreover,  the  ring  on  his  finger  was  not 
of  gold,  but  of  iron,  in  accordance  with  ancient  usage. 


2  The  Doomed  City 

In  journeying  along  he  had  caught  sight,  by  the 
wayside,  of  a  stone  pillar  engraved  with  letters  which 
told  that  the  said  pillar  was  distant  from  Rome  by 
the  space  of  one  thousand  five  hundred  miles.  Thus  far, 
yea,  and  hundreds  of  miles  farther,  did  the  Roman 
power  extend  in  this,  the  twelfth  year  of  the  reign 
of  the  Emperor  Nero.  Crispus'  stern  smile  gave  the 
keynote  to  his  character — pride  in  the  Empire  founded 
by  his  forefathers,  determination  to  maintain  that  Em- 
pire, though  it  cost  him  limb  and  life. 

And  in  truth  Rome  counted  few  sons  more  patriotic 
than  young  Crispus  Cestius  Gallus,  distinguished  alike 
by  feats  of  arms  and  by  beauty  of  person ;  by  noble 
birth,  and  by  high  office — for  he  was  secretary  to  his 
father,  the  elder  Cestius,  who  at  that  time  held  the 
dignity  of  imperial  Legate  of  Syria,  a  dignity  whose 
vast  power  and  splendid  emoluments  made  it  a  prize 
coveted  of  all  Roman  statesmen. 

It  was  a  lovely  evening.  A  faint  breeze  came  from 
the  sea,  whose  waves,  wine-dark  in  color,  flowed  with 
a  sort  of  velvety  ripple  upon  the  yellow  sands.  To 
the  east  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  or  more  rose  the 
Samaritan  hills,  mysterious  and  still  in  the  evening  light, 
their  rounded  summits  clearly  defined  against  the  deep 
violet  of  the  sky. 

Now,  as  Crispus  glanced  ahead,  he  saw  approaching 
a  solitary  figure,  wearing  buskins  of  purple,  and  a 
sleeved  and  embroidered  tunic  of  the  same  color,  cut  to 
the  latest  fashion.  He  walked,  his  eyes  set  upon  the 
ground,  with  a  somewhat  slow  and  pensive  step,  and 
would  have  passed  by  unheeding  but  for  the  cheery, 
rousing  voice  of  Crispus. 

"  Ho,  Titus !  Is  it  thus  in  a  strange  land  that  you 
pass  by  your  oldest  friend.''  " 

He  who  was  thus  addressed  started,  looked  up,  and, 
recognizing  the  speaker,  dropped  as  if  by  magic  his 
melancholy  air,  and  advanced  with  smiling  face  and 
extended  hand. 


A  Mysterious  Wedding  3 

"  By  the  gods,  'tis  Crispus,"  he  cried  in  a  tone  of 
genuine  delight.  "  Now  doth  Fortune  favor  me.  To 
think  of  meeting  you  in  this  barbarian  province,  a 
thousand  miles  from  our  Sabine  farms !  Whither  are 
you  bound  .^     For  Csesarea?     Then  will  I  return  with 

Titus  Flavius,  destined  in  course  of  time  to  attain 
the  imperial  purple,  was  the  senior  of  Crispus  by  one 
year:  keen  of  eye,  and  with  an  aquiline  nose,  he  looked 
every  inch  the  soldier  that  he  was,  in  spite  of  his  per- 
fumed and  fashionable  garb.  A  certain  ruddiness  of 
features  showed  him  to  be  likewise  a  sort  of  "  Antony, 
that  revels  long  o'  nights." 

"  What  do  1/ou  in  this  Jewish  land.?  "  asked  Crispus. 

"  Rejoice  at  my  presence  here,  for  'tis  proof  that  I 
am  restored  to  Nero's  favor." 

"  I  did  not  know  that  you  had  lost  it." 

"  What  ?  Have  you  not  heard  that  when  Nero — 
what  a  delightful  buffoon  he  is,  to  be  sure! — was  sing- 
ing on  the  stage  at  Corinth,  my  sire  Vespasian  was  so 
little  appreciative  of  good  music  as  actually  to  yawn, 
and  even  to  fall  asleep  and  snore,  with  the  result  that 
not  only  Pater  nocens  but  even  Filius  innocens  was  for- 
bidden to  appear  in  the  imperial  presence." 

"  I  marvel  that  you  did  not  both  lose  your  heads." 

"  So  do  I.  Though  banished,  however,  I  did  not 
lose  heart,  but  in  the  spirit  of  a  true  courtier  I  sacri- 
ficed every  day  to  Nero's  heavenly  voice ;  and,  on  learn- 
ing this  (for  I  took  good  care  it  should  reach  his  ears !), 
he  recalled  me  to  court,  and  marked  his  approval  of 
my  piety  by  sending  me  on  a  mission  to  Cssarea." 

"A  mission.''     Of  what  nature?" 

"  Why,  you  doubtless  know  that  yon  fair  city  of 
Csesarea  is  peopled  both  with  Greeks  and  Jews,  each 
claiming  precedency  of  the  other.  Let  procurator 
Florus  post  up  an  edict  beginning,  '  To  the  Greeks  and 
Jews  of  Csesarea,'  and  the  Jewish  mob  will  tear  it  down. 
Let  him  word  it,  '  To  the  Jews  and  Greeks,'  and  the 


4  The  Boomed  City 

Greeks  will  not  suffer  it  to  remain  up.  The  Greek  high 
priest  of  Jupiter  demands  that  on  state  occasions  he 
shall  sit  upon  the  right  hand  of  the  procurator;  the 
high  priest  of  the  Jews,  when  he  comes  to  Caesarea, 
claims  the  same  privilege.  The  Greeks  wish  their  lan- 
guage to  be  used  in  the  law-courts  to  the  exclusion  of 
our  own  stately  Latin — there's  taste  for  you !  the  Jews 
clamor  for  their  own  tongue.  This  feud  is  productive 
of  continual  rioting  and  bloodshed.  Therefore  Nero, 
appealed  to  by  deputies  from  both  factions,  hath  pro- 
nounced his  decree,  dispatching  it  from  Greece  by  my 
hand." 

"  And  in  whose  favor  hath  Caesar  decided?  " 

"  Nay,  I  know  not.  The  decree  was  contained  in  a 
sealed  letter  addressed  to  Florus,  who  hath  not  yet  made 
it  public.  As  for  me,  instead  of  hastening  back  to  Nero 
to  show  him  how  quickly  I  can  transact  his  business,  I, 
like  a  fool,  tarry  in  the  neighborhood  of  Caesarea." 

"  There  being  a  woman  in  the  case,"  smiled  Crispus ; 
"  otherwise  the  usually  sensible  Titus  would  not  be 
garbed  like  a  fashionable  dandy.  What  would  your 
stern  republican  father  say  to  this  perfuming  of  your- 
self.? " 

"  A  woman  in  the  case  ?  Say,  rather,  a  goddess.  No 
lovelier  face  hath  ever  been  seen  since  Helen  lured  the 
Grecian  ships  to  Troy." 

"  Fickle  Titus !  Last  autumn  he  was  vowing  eternal 
fidelity  to  Lesbia,  the  hetsera ;  it  was  the  Greek  dancing- 
girl  Lycoris  in  winter;  this  spring  it  is — ^who.''  " 

"  Lesbia  and  Lycoris !  Pouf !  "  said  Titus,  as  if 
blowing  these  nymphs  away  in  air.  "  Do  not  mention 
them,  I  pray  you,  in  the  same  breath  with  this  splendid 
eastern  beauty.  I  am  serious  now,  if  ever  I  were  so. 
I  would  marry  her  to-morrow,  were  she  willing;  nay, 
more,  to  win  her  I  would  even  repudiate  the  religion  of 
my  ancestors,  and  worship  her  Jewish  God." 

"  Titus  must  indeed  be  smitten !  So  your  fair  one 
is  a  Jewess  ?  " 


A  Mysterious  Wedding  5 

"  Ay,  and  in  rank  far  above  poor  plebeian  me," 
said  Titus,  sighing  like  a  furnace, 

"  You  talk  thus !  you  who  are  a  quasstor,  tribune  of 
a  legion,  and  a  messenger  of  imperial  Caesar?  " 

"  And  the  son  of  a  man  who  was  once  a  horse-doctor ; 
forget  not  that." 

"  You  were  brought  up  in  the  imperial  household  with 
Britannicus,  enjoying  the  same  luxuries  and  the  same 
instructors  as  he." 

"  And  very  nearly  drinking  of  the  same  fatal  cup," 
commented  Titus,  grimly. 

"  The  gods  reserved  you  for  a  nobler  destiny.  But 
as  to  your  fair  lady — who  is  she.''  " 

"  A  princess,  beautiful,  proud,  scornful.  Berenice 
her  name,  the  daughter  of  that  Agrippa  who,  some 
twenty  years  ago,  was  King  of  Palestine.  He  left  her 
so  much  wealth  that  she  is  called  '  Golden  Berenice.' 
You  know  her.''  "  added  Titus,  as  he  saw  an  odd  look 
flit  for  a  moment  over  the  face  of  Crispus. 

"  I  have  seen  her." 

"  Then  you  know  how  beautiful  she  Is." 

"  Yes,  she  is  certainly  beautiful,"  replied  Crispus,  in 
a  tone  as  if  grudging  the  admission. 

"  You  speak  coldly.  'Tis  clear  I  shall  never  have 
you  for  a  rival." 

"True,  O  Titus.  When  I  mate  It  shall  be  with 
pure  maid.  Hath  not  your  Berenice  already  had  one 
husband?  " 

"  She  was  wedded,  when  quite  a  girl,  to  Polemo,  King 
of  Pontus,  who  divorced  her  two  years  afterwards." 

"Polemo?"  ejaculated  Crispus,  in  some  surprise. 
"Polemo? — one  of  my  father's  friends.  Why  did  he 
divorce  her?  " 

"  Nay,  ask  that  of  others.  He  was  elderly  and 
serious ;  she  was  youthful  and  gay :  there,  I  suspect, 
lay  the  reason." 

"  Their  separation,"  remarked  Crispus,  "  does  not 
appear  to  have  left  much  bitterness  behind,  for,  at  a 


0  The  Doomed  City 

banquet  given  by  my  father  to  all  the  kings  of  the 
East,  Polemo  and  the  Princess  Berenice  sat  side  by 
side,  seeming  to  be  on  excellent  terms  with  each  other. 
And,  what  struck  me  as  strange,  their  glances  were  so 
often  cast  in  my  direction  that  I  could  not  help  won- 
dering whether  /  were  the  subject  of  their  talk.  Were 
there  any  children  bom  of  this  marriage.?  " 

"  One — a  daughter,  said  to  have  died  in  infancy." 

"And  you  would  woo  this  Herodian  princess.''  Do 
you  frequent  this  lonely  shore  in  order  to  sigh  out  vows 
to  Venus?"  said  Crispus,  pointing  to  love's  planet 
that  sparkled  like  an  eye  in  the  blue  depths  above. 

"  I  come  here  hoping  to  have  the  pleasure  of  a  few 
words  with  her  as  she  returns  to  Caesarea.  An  hour 
ago,  so  I  am  told,  she  drove  this  way  in  her  chariot." 

"  You  do  right,  then,  in  retracing  your  steps,  for  I 
can  certify  that  no  chariot  has  passed  me." 

"  Then  she  must  have  turned  aside,  and  gone  in- 
land," said  Titus,  looking  to  the  left  as  if  meditating 
a  diversion  among  the  hills  in  quest  of  the  fair  princess. 

With  a  sigh  he  resigned  the  project,  and  strode  on- 
ward beside  Crispus,  whose  frequent  questions  on  all 
that  fell  within  the  sphere  of  his  vision  showed  that  he 
was  treading  the  shore  of  Palestine  for  the  first  time. 

"  How  name  you  yon  house  ?  "  he  asked,  pointing 
ahead  to  an  edifice  perched  upon  a  crag  that  over- 
looked the  shore  road. 

"  I  am  told  that  it  is  called  '  Beth-tamar,'  " 

"  And  that,  being  interpreted,  meaneth  '  The  House 
of  Palms,'  "  remarked  Crispus,  and  smiling  at  Titus' 
look  of  surprise.  "  O,  I  know  something  of  the  speech 
of  these  barbarians,  having  learned  it  in  childhood  from 
one  of  my  father's  favorite  slaves,  a  captive  Jew ;  and 
so  long  as  the  fellow  kept  to  his  language,  well  and 
good,  but  when  he  tried  to  make  me  a  proselyte  to  his 
superstition,  he  was  promptly  scourged,  and  put  at  a 
distance  from  me." 

"  Hebrew !  "  commented  Titus,    "  You  have  the  bet" 


A  Mysterious  Wedding  7 

ter  of  me.  Would  that  I  could  speak  it,  for  then  it 
might  dispose  Berenice  to  look  with  a  more  favorable 
eye  upon  me.     As  it  is,  I  have  to  say  with  Ovid: 

*  Barharus  hie  ego  sum,  quia  non  intelligor  ulU.'  " 

What  more  he  would  have  said  was  checked  by  a 
command  delivered  in  an  authoritative  voice: 

"Halt!" 

Instinctively  the  two  friends  paused,  and  glanced 
aloft.  Standing  upon  a  lower  spur  of  the  crag  above 
them,  and  clearly  defined  against  the  star-lit  sky,  was 
a  tall  figure  in  a  flowing  robe. 

"  Who  are  you  that  bid  two  Romans  halt  ? "  de- 
manded Titus,  haughtily. 

"  The  servant  of  a  king,"  was  the  answer,  delivered 
in  the  Latin  language,  though  not  with  the  true  Latin 
accent. 

"Your  master's  name.?"  asked  Titus,  suspiciously. 

"  Polerao,   King  of   Pontus." 

At  this  Crispus  and  Titus  looked  at  each  other, 
deeming  it  odd  to  be  brought  thus  in  connection  with 
the  monarch  about  whom  they  had  just  been  talking. 

"  I  have  a  message,"  continued  the  stranger,  "  for 
one,  Crispus  Cestius  Gallus." 

"  My  name,"  said  the  bearer  of  it.  "  What  would 
the  king  with  me  ?  " 

"  My  royal  master  bids  you  tarry  an  hour  with  him 
ere  journeying  on  to  Csesarea." 

"Where  is  the  king  to  be  found.'*" 

"  Within  the  walls  of  his  mansion,  Beth-tamar." 

"  And  should  I  pass  on  my  way  neglectful  of  the 
king's  bidding .''  " 

"  Pass  on,  and  miss  a  high  destiny." 

"  Haste  thee,  and  tell  thy  lord  that  Crispus  comes 
with  his  friend,  Titus  Flavins." 

The  man  had  appeared  suddenly ;  just  as  suddenly 
did  he  now  disappear.     Bidding  his  two  slaves  await 


8  The  Doomed  City 

his  return,  Crispus  turned  from  the  maritime  road,  and 
began  to  climb  the  rough  ascent.  His  ready  acquies- 
cence with  the  stranger's  wish  was  viewed  with  some 
uneasiness  by  Titus,  who  was,  however,  quickly  reassured 
by  Crispus. 

"  Polemo,  in  this  matter,"  said  he,  "  acts  as  his  own 
messenger,  for  it  was  he  who  spoke  with  us." 

"  The  king  himself.?  "  said  Titus,  greatly  surprised. 

"  Even  so,"  replied  Crispus.  "  We  can  enter  Beth- 
tamar  in  perfect  safety.  I  am  not  altogether  un- 
prepared for  this  meeting.  As  I  was  setting  out  from 
Antioch  my  father  spoke  thus  to  me :  '  On  your  way 
to  Caesarea  you  may  meet  with  King  Polemo,  who  hath 
a  proposal  for  you.  I  leave  you  free  to  accept  or 
decline,  but,  if  you  will  be  guided  by  me,  you  will  do 
his  bidding,  however  strange  it  may  appear.'  " 

Language  such  as  this  moved  Titus  to  wonder,  and 
he  became  almost  as  eager  as  Crispus  for  the  meeting 
with  the  Pontic  king. 

Arrived  upon  the  platform  that  formed  the  summit 
of  the  crag,  the  two  Romans  saw  before  them  a  rec- 
tangular edifice,  massive  and  spacious,  formed  like  most 
of  the  buildings  in  that  region  from  blocks  of  lime- 
stone— a  bare  dull-looking  structure;  but  then  the 
Oriental  house  is  not  to  be  judged  by  its  outside,  for 
a  costly  exterior  suggests  wealth,  and  in  the  East, 
wealth,  then,  as  now,  is  a  temptation  to  the  powers 
that  be. 

Within  the  arched  entrance  stood  a  slave,  who,  with 
a  profound  salaam,  invited  the  two  friends  to  follow 
him.  Traversing  a  stone  passage,  they  quickly  emerged 
into  a  spacious  court,  open  to  the  sky:  rooms  with 
latticed  windows  looked  out  upon  this  court,  and  to 
one  of  these  the  slave  conducted  the  visitors,  and  there 
left  them.  The  room  was  Oriental  in  character:  a 
cushioned  divan  ran  round  the  marble  walls  that 
gleamed  with  gilded  arabesques  and  lapis-lazuli.  In 
the  middle  of  the  tesselated  pavement  was  a  fountain, 


A  Mysterious  Wedding  9 

whose  waters  played  with  a  golden  sparkle  in  the  soft 
radiance  shed  by  the  many  lamps  pendent  from  the 
fretted  roof  above. 

As  the  two  Romans  entered,  there  came  forw^ard  to 
greet  them  the  same  man  that  had  spoken  from  the 
crag,  a  man  of  grave  and  stately  presence,  whose  classic 
features  can  still  be  studied  on  the  extant  coins  of  the 
kingdom  of  Pontus.  He  had  cast  off  the  coarse  garb 
he  had  worn  without,  and  appeared  now  in  a  majestic 
robe  of  royal  purple.  On  his  finger  glittered  a  gold 
ring,  decorated  with  a  cameo  sculptured  with  a  minia- 
ture head  of  Nero,  a  fact  of  some  significance,  since 
the  wearing  of  such  a  ring  was  permitted  to  those 
only  who  had  the  high  privilege  of  free  access  to  the 
Emperor's  presence. 

"  Welcome  to  Beth-tamar !  "  were  the  monarch's  first 
words.  "  Aware  that  you  were  drawing  near  to 
Cffisarea,"  he  continued,  addressing  Crispus,  "  I  have 
ventured  thus  to  intercept  your  journey." 

"To  what  end?" 

"  Hath  not  your  father  told  you?  " 

Crispus  answered  in  the  negative.  Polemo  seemed 
surprised  at  this ;  he  hesitated,  and  glanced  at  Titus 
as  if  his  presence  were  an  embarrassment.  Divining  his 
thoughts,  Crispus  spoke : 

"  Titus  is  my  -fidus  Achates.  Let  not  the  king  take 
it  amiss,  but  whatever  is  said  must  be  said  before  him." 

"  Be  it  so,"  said  Polemo,  after  a  brief  pause.  "  You 
must,  however,  both  give  pledge,  that  the  proposal  I 
am  about  to  make,  whether  accepted  or  declined,  shall 
be  kept  a  secret  till  such  time  as  I  shall  choose  it  to 
be  known." 

"  The  character  of  the  noble  Polemo,"  returned  Cris- 
pus, "  is  a  sufficient  guarantee  that  he  will  require  of 
me  nothing  dishonorable  or  nothing  detrimental  to  the 
interests  of  the  Roman  state." 

"  Far  be  such  thoughts  from  me.  My  aim  is  to  add 
to  its  strength."    Assured  thus,  both  Crispus  and  Titus 


10  The  Boomed  City 

promised  to  hold  sacred  whatever  the  king  were  minded 
to  reveal. 

"  Good !  To  come  at  once  to  the  question,  for  I 
love  not  many  words,  you  are  doubtless  aware  of  my 
misfortune  in  having  no  son  to  succeed  me  on  the 
throne.  I  am,"  he  added  mournfully,  "  the  last  of 
my  race.  In  these  circumstances  our  lord  Nero  has 
graciously  conceded  to  me  the  favor  of  nominating  a 
successor,  with  the  necessary  proviso  that  my  choice 
must  fall  on  a  man  loyal  to  the  Empire.  Such  a  one 
I  have  found." 

He  paused  and  looked  at  Crispus,  whose  head  began 
suddenly  to  whirl  with  a  daring  hope.  Could  it  be 
that  he  himself  was — ■ — ? 

"  If,"  continued  Polemo,  "  if  loyalty  to  Rome  be 
the  first  qualification  in  my  successor,  who  more  loyal 
than  a  Roman  himself?  who  more  likely  to  meet  with 
the  approval  of  the  Senate  than  one  of  the  Senatorial 
order?  For  these  reasons,  then,  and  because  your  past 
deeds  have  shown  you  to  be  worthy  of  the  dignity,  I 
am  minded  at  a  date  three  years  from  now  to  confer 
upon  you  the  scepter  of  Pontus.  What  say  you  to 
this?" 

At  first  Crispus  could  say  nothing  for  very  amaze- 
ment. Then,  recovering  somewhat,  he  began  eagerly 
to  question  the  king,  and  found  him  to  all  appearances 
sincere  in  making  the  offer. 

Now,  although  Polemo  had  made  a  special  point  of 
Crispus'  worthiness,  Crispus  himself  had  nevertheless  a 
secret  belief  that  the  king  was  actuated  by  some  ulterior 
motive.  He  recalled  a  saying  of  his  father's :  "  There 
is  fire  within  Polemo  for  all  his  cold  exterior.  To 
me  he  seems  a  man  who,  having  received  a  great  wrong, 
is  meditating  a  scheme  of  revenge — ay,  and  devoting 
his  whole  life  to  it.  The  weapon  may  take  years  in 
the  forging,  but  when  forged  it  will  fall,  swiftly,  ter- 
ribly." Recalling  these  words,  Crispus  began  to  won- 
der whether  the  offer  just  made  was  a  part  of  the  king's 


A  Mysterious  Wedding  11 

scheme  of  vengeance.  Was  he,  Crispus,  to  be  elevated 
to  the  throne  merely  to  bring  gall  to  some  scheming 
and  ambitious  enemy?  Crispus  had  a  reasonable  objec- 
tion to  be  utilized  for  such  a  purpose ;  but  still,  what 
mattered?  Here  was  an  opportunity  of  gaining  a 
splendid  dignity,  and  it  would  be  foolish  to  let  his 
scruples  as  to  the  other's  motive  interfere  with  his 
ambition. 

A  king ! 

"  All  things,"  said  Porus,  "  are  comprehended  In  that 
word." 

What  fancies  crowded  thick  and  fast  upon  Crispus' 
mind  as  he  tried  to  picture  the  future ! 

He  would  be  a  father  to  his  people ;  would  regulate 
their  finances ;  foster  their  commerce ;  increase  the 
army ;  promote  the  use  of  the  Latin  language  and  en- 
courage Greek  culture.  In  the  glens  of  the  Caucasus, 
bordering  upon  his  kingdom,  were  wild  tribes  that  had 
never  yet  acknowledged  a  conqueror.  He  would  curb 
their  predatory  incursions,  and  augment  his  territory 
at  their  expense.  Nay,  he  might  even  pass  that  mighty 
mountain-barrier,  and  carry  his  arms  over  Scythia,  a 
region  that  had  defied  the  attempts  of  the  Persian,  the 
Grecian,  and  the  Roman.  Why  should  he  not  be  in 
the  North  what  Alexander  had  been  In  the  East,  and 
Caesar  in  the  West?  Then,  when  his  kingdom  had  be- 
come enlarged  and  Latinized,  he  would  act  the  patriot, 
and  transfer  his  dominion  to  the  Senate,  making  It  a 
province  of  mighty  Rome. 

Dreams,  perhaps,  but  it  is  in  such  dreams  that  em- 
pires have  sometimes  had  their  beginning. 

"  What  answer  do  you  make?  " 

"  At  present,  none,"  replied  the  cautious  Crispus. 
"Is  your  gift  accompanied  by  any  stipulation?" 

"  One  only.  He  who  chooses  the  king  of  Pontus 
must  also  choose  its  queen." 

"  In  other  words,  I  must  take  a  wife,  a  wife  to  be 
chosen  by  you." 


12  The  Boomed  City 

"  That  is  so." 

"And  failing  to  do  this — no  scepter?" 

"  Truly  said.  The  gift  of  the  kingdom  is  dependent 
upon  your  marrying  the  lady  of  my  choice.  The  two 
go  together." 

"And  what  date  do  you  fix  for  our  nuptia^?" 

"  This  very  night — nay,  this  very  hour." 

''To-night?     Ye  gods!     You  hear  that,  Titus  ?  " 

"  The  lady  is  at  hand,  for  in  the  reasonable  belief 
that  you  would  not  refuse  a  throne  I  have  had  her 
brought  here." 

"  Her  name.'' " 

"  Call  her  Athenais,  since  that  is  the  name  she  will 
take  as  queen." 

"  I  am  not  to  know  her  real  name !  What  is  her 
rank.?" 

"  Superior  to  your  own,  for  she  is  of  royal  blood." 

"  She  is  of  fair  shape,  I  trust  ?  " 

"  Zeuxis  never  delineated  a  face  and  form  more 
lovely." 

These  words  served  to  whet  Crispus'  curiosity.  He 
expressed  a  wish  to  see  his  prospective  bride. 

"  See  her  you  will  not ;  she  will  be  veiled  during  the 
ceremony.  Nor  will  you  hear  her  voice,  for  she  will 
not  speak.  When  the  rite  is  over  you  will  resume  your 
journey  to  Caesarea." 

"  Without  seeing  the  face  of  my  wife ! "  gasped  Cris- 
pus in  amazement.  Was  there  ever  so  strange  a  mar- 
riage proposal.? 

"  It  is  my  will  that  you  shall  not  know  whom  you 
have  married.  The  lady  is  beautiful,  high-born,  and 
brings  a  crown  as  a  dowry.     Is  not  that  enough.''  " 

"  And  when  will  my  bride  be  made  known  to  me.f*  " 

"  On  the  day  when  you  assume  the  scepter." 

"And  the  date  of  that  event.?" 

"  As  I  have  said,  at  the  end  of  three  years." 

"  The  word  of  Polemo  is  his  bond,"  said  Crispus, 
"  but  seeing  that — ah  sit  omen! — ^you  may  be  dead  ere 


A  Mysterious  Wedding  13 

the  three  jears  be  past,  what  warranty  shall  I  then 
have  of  the  due  execution  of  this,  your  promise?  " 

"  This,"  replied  the  king,  producing  a  parchment- 
scroll  and  unroHing  it.  "  'Tis  yours  as  soon  as  the 
nuptial  ceremony  be  over." 

Crispus  ran  his  eye  over  the  scroll,  and  saw  that  it 
was  what  Roman  lawyers  would  call  an  instrumentum — 
in  other  words,  a  legally-executed  document,  constitut- 
mg  him  the  heir  of  Polemo  in  the  sovereignty  of  Pon- 
tus.  It  was  subscribed  with  the  signature  of  the  king, 
and,  what  was  of  far  more  weight,  with  that  of  Nero 
himself. 

"  Do  you  assent.'*  " 
"  I  assent." 

"  Consider  well ;  remember  that  you  are  to  pledge 
yourself  to  remain  faithful  to  Athenais,  who  in  turn 
pledges  herself  to  remain  faithful  to  you.  Should  you 
in  this  interval  be  found  breaking  your  vow  by  offering 
love  to  any  woman— yea,  even  though  it  be  to  your 
own  unknown  wife  "—Crispus  smiled  at  the  supposition 
— "  you  lose  the  crown  of  Pontus." 

"  Your  terms  are  strange,  but  I  abide  by  them." 
"  You  are  ready  to  wed.^  " 
"  This  very  hour." 

"You  promise  not  to  lift  her  veil.?  You  are  content 
not  to  hear  her  voice?  You  are  wilhng  to  depart  as 
soon  as  the  rite  is  over?  You  promise  with  your  friend 
to  observe  secrecy  as  touching  this  night's  work?  " 

There  was  a  light  as  of  triumph  in  Polemo's  eyes 
when  the  two  Romans  gave  assent  to  these  terms.  It 
confirmed  Crispus  in  his  belief  that  the  king  was  using 
him  as  an  instrument  of  vengeance.  But,  as  before, 
he  said  within  himself,  "What  matters?" 

"  With  what  rites  do  we  wed?  "  asked  Crispus. 
"  With  the  words   customary   in  your   own   Roman 
nuptial    ceremonies,    confirming   them   by   placing   this 
token  upon  the  finger  of  the  bride,"  returned  Polemo. 
He  handed  to  Crispus  a  gold  ring.     It  was  set  with 


14  The  Doomed  City 

a  ruby,  upon  whose  surface  there  was  graven,  with 
beautiful  and  marvelous  art,  a  device  that  caused  a 
quick  look  of  surprise  to  pass  over  the  face  of  Crispus. 
As  he  slowly  and  mechanically  turned  the  ring  over  in 
his  hand  the  ruby  darted  forth  sparkles  that  caused 
what  was  sculptured  on  the  gem  to  vanish  as  if  in  a 
blaze  of  fire.  At  that  sight  Crispus  gave  a  great  start, 
and  darted  an  inquiring  look  at  the  king,  who  replied 
by  a  smile  full  of  a  hidden  meaning.  Titus,  who  took 
due  note  of  all  this,  was  naturally  not  a  little  puzzled; 
he  refrained  from  comment,  however,  believing  that 
Crispus  would  enlighten  him  later. 

"  Follow  me,"  said  Polemo,  and,  lifting  a  curtain, 
he  led  the  way  to  another  chamber  so  dimly  illumined 
by  one  lamp  only  that  the  parts  remote  from  the  light 
were  scarcely  discernible,  an  arrangement  obviously  due 
to  Polemo's  determination  that  Crispus  should  see  as 
little  as  possible  of  his  bride. 

In  the  semi-darkness  two  waiting  figures,  both  deeply 
veiled,  were  faintly  visible. 

Of  the  one  that  stood  a  little  in  the  rear  Crispus  took 
no  note,  she  being  obviously  an  attendant.  It  was  the 
other  upon  whom  his  eyes  were  set.  Slender  and  of 
medium  stature,  she  wore  the  usual  dress  of  a  Roman 
bride,  the  tunica  recta,  a  long  white  robe  with  a  purple 
fringe,  and  girt  at  the  waist  with  a  zone.  The  ^am- 
meum,  or  veil,  which  effectually  concealed  her  features, 
was  bright  yellow  in  color,  as  were  likewise  her  dainty 
little  shoes.  The  bride's  hair  with  the  point  of  a  spear, 
was  dispensed  with  on  this  occasion,  her  head  being 
covered  with  a  coif,  so  well  disposed  that  not  a  single 
tress  was  visible.  So  completely  was  her  person  hidden 
that,  let  her  dress  be  changed,  and  there  was  nothing 
by  which  he  could  identify  her,  if  he  should  meet  her 
again  that  same  night. 

Though  Crispus  could  not  see  her  eyes,  he  knew 
full  well  that  she  was  watching  him  as  keenly  as  he 
was  watching  her,  a  scrutiny  in  which  the  advantage 


A  Mysterious  Wedding  15 

was  all  on  her  side.  She  stood,  wordless  and  motionless, 
evidently  awaiting  the  king's  pleasure. 

"  Athenais,"  said  he,  "  this  is  your  husband." 

She  made  a  little  obeisance  to  Crispus,  a  simple  act, 
yet  performed  with  a  grace  that  charmed  him. 

He  did  not  know  in  what  relation  Polemo  stood  to 
the  bride,  but  his  way  of  speaking  implied  a  quasi- 
authority  over  her,  and  since  it  was  the  fashion  in  those 
days  for  parents  and  guardians  to  arrange  marriages 
with  very  little  regard  for  the  feelings  of  the  two  most 
concerned  in  the  affair,  Crispus  could  not  help  wonder- 
ing whether  pressure  had  been  put  upon  this  Athenais 
to  induce  her  to  consent  to  the  union.  He  would  find 
out. 

"  Lad}-,"  he  said,  "  I  am  willing  to  marry,  but  only 
on  the  understanding  that  you  come  to  me  without 
compulsion.  Therefore,  if  you  take  me  of  your  own 
free  will,  testify  the  same — since  you  are  forbidden  to 
speak — by  coming  forward  two  paces." 

Athenais  hesitated,  but  only  for  a  second.  Giving 
him  what  he  felt  to  be  a  grateful  glance,  she  advanced 
two  steps. 

"  A  mutual  agreement,"  smiled  Polemo.  "  This  is 
as  it  should  be." 

He  wliispered  in  the  ear  of  the  bride  something  that 
Crispus  could  not  catch.  Whatever  it  was  it  evoked 
from  her  a  little  ripple  of  laughter,  so  sweet  and  silvery, 
that  Crispus  was  put  into  sympathy  with  her  at 
once. 

"  If  her  face  be  as  witching  as  her  laughter ! " 
thought  he. 

But  her  laugh,  however  charming  to  Crispus,  had  a 
very  different  effect  upon  Titus.  An  attentive  spec- 
tator would  have  seen  him  start  violently,  and  turn 
pale.  He  seemed  on  the  point  of  breaking  out  into 
words,  but  checking  himself,  he  stood  mute,  his  whole 
attitude  expressive  of  dejection,  a  feeling  that  seemed 
to  increase  as  the  nuptial  ceremony  proceeded.     Cris- 


16  The  Doomed  City 

pus,  occupied  with  the  matter  in  hand,  did  not  notice 
his  friend's  agitation. 

At  a  sign  from  Polemo  Crispus  drew  near  to  Athe- 
nai's,  Titus  acting  as  paranymph,  or,  to  use  the  modern 
phrase,  "  best  man,"  the  veiled  attendant  performing 
a  similar  oiRce  for  the  bride. 

Athenais,  directed  by  the  king,  put  forth  a  white 
and  prettily-shaped  hand,  which  Crispus  took  in  his 
own. 

If  her  feelings  bore  any  resemblance  to  those  of 
Crispus  she  must  have  felt  like  one  in  a  dream,  for  he 
could  scarcely  believe  the  scene  to  be  real.  An  hour  ago 
he  would  have  laughed  had  anyone  prophesied  for  him 
an  early  marriage,  and  yet  here  he  was  on  the  point 
of  marrying  a  woman  of  whose  past  history  he  knew 
nothing,  a  woman  from  whom,  as  soon  as  the  ceremony 
was  over,  he  must  part,  without  seeing  her  face,  with- 
out receiving  so  little  as  one  word  from  her,  part  for  a 
space  of  time  to  be  measured,  not  by  months,  but  by 
years !  What  would  his  friends  at  Rome  think  of  a 
marriage  contracted  under  auspices  so  strange? 
"  Weddeth  Crispus  as  a  fool  weddeth.'^"  would  surely 
be  their  comment. 

Thus  much,  however,  could  be  said  for  his  act:  it 
had  his  father's  sanction,  and  with  this  thought  Crispus 
tried  to  suppress  all  misgivings. 

Mechanically  he  found  himself  repeating  after  Po- 
lemo the  final  words  of  the  rite  that  was  to  unite  hhn 
for  life  with  the  unknown  Athenais. 

"  Leaving  all  other,  and  keeping  only  to  thee,  I, 
Crispus  Cestius  Gallus,  patrician  of  Rome,  do  take 
thee,  Athenais,  to  be  my  lawful  wife,  to  be  openly  ac- 
knowledged as  such  when  it  shall  please  thee  to  claim 
me  by  this  token." 

So  saying,  he  slid  upon  her  slender  finger  the  golden 
ring  given  him  by  Polemo. 

No  sound  came  from  the  woman  who  was  now  his 
wife,  but  her  agitation  was   shown  by  her  trembling 


A  Mysterious  Wedding  17 

hand,  bj  her  accelerated  breathing,  by  her  attitude, 
half-reclining,  in  the  arms  of  her  attendant. 

Her  hand  seemed  to  close  voluntarily  upon  his  own. 
The  thrilling  pressure  of  those  fair  fingers  imparted  to 
him  somehow  the  belief  that,  originally  reluctant  to 
come  to  the  ceremony,  she  now  viewed  it  with  pleasure, 
a  thought  that  gave  him  pleasure  in  turn. 

The  sweet  laugh  that  had  come  from  her,  the  clasp 
of  her  pretty  hand,  her  willingness  to  trust  her  whole 
future  to  his  keeping,  so  moved  Crispus  that  he  began 
to  feel  a  keen  regret  that  he  must  immediately  part 
from  her.  He  became  almost  angry  with  himself  for 
having  submitted  to  the  hard  terms  prescribed  by 
Polemo. 

As  he  released  her  hand  she  sank  back  half-swooning 
in  the  arms  of  the  other  woman,  who,  at  a  sign  from 
Polemo,  proceeded  to  draw  her  gently  from  the  apart- 
ment. Till  the  last  Crispus  kept  his  eyes  upon  her, 
hoping  that,  in  spite  of  Polemo,  she  might  raise  a 
corner  of  her  veil,  and  give  him  just  one  glimpse  at 
least  of  her  face. 

It  was  not  to  be,  however.  She  melted  away  into 
the  shadows  around,  and  he  saw  her  no  more. 

The  two  Romans  walked  again  by  the  star-lit  shore 
with  Beth-tamar  far  beliind  them. 

"  What,"  asked  Titus,  who,  since  the  wedding  cere- 
mony, had  been  strangely  silent,  "  what  was  engraved 
on  the  stone  of  the  nuptial  ring  that  you  should  start 
so.?  " 

He  received  little  enlightenment  from  the  reply  of 
Crispus : 

"  The  image  of  a  temple  in  flames!  " 


CHAPTER  II 

THE    BANQUET    OF    FLORUS 

Eaely  on  the  morning  after  his  arrival  at  Caesarea, 
Crispus  was  waited  upon  at  his  lodgings  by  Gessius 
Florus,  procurator  of  Judaea,  who,  apprised  of  Crispus' 
coming,  lost  no  time  in  calling  upon  the  son  of  the 
Syrian  Legate,  that  Legate  whose  word  was  all-power- 
ful in  the  East. 

Previous  knowledge  had  disposed  Crispus  to  take  an 
unfavorable  opinion  of  Florus,  an  opinion  that  became 
strengthened  on  seeing  the  man  himself.  A  shallow- 
minded  Greek  of  Clazomense,  and  no  true  Roman,  he 
had  gained  the  procuratorship  of  Judaea,  not  through 
merit,  but  by  the  influence  of  his  wife  Cleopatra,  who 
was  a  close  friend  of  the  reigning  Empress  Poppsea. 

Florus,  though  born  in  Ionia,  had  little  of  the  grace 
that  is  usually  associated  with  that  region,  and  had 
Crispus  not  known  otherwise  he  might  have  taken  the 
governor,  with  his  round  bullet  head,  furtive  greenish- 
brown  eyes,  and  heavy  brutal  jaw,  for  a  member  of  that 
pugilistic  fraternity  whose  feats  with  the  caestus  were 
the  delight  of  the  lower  orders  among  the  Romans. 

He  was  desirous  that  Crispus  should  form  one  at  a 
grand  banquet,  to  be  held  that  night  in  the  Praetorium, 
or  procuratorial  palace. 

Crispus  was  about  to  decline  the  honor,  when  he 
thought  of  Athenais.  For  all  he  knew  to  the  con- 
trary she  might  be  a  resident  of  Caesarea,  and  if  so, 
her  "  royal  blood  "  would  certainly  entitle  her  to  an 
invitation.  She  might  be  among  the  guests.  He  would 
go,  though  it  would  be  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to 
recognize  her. 

18 


The  Baiiquet  of  Florus  19 

Florus  withdrew  in  apparent  delight. 

As  for  Titus,  he  departed  that  same  day  for  Rome, 
embarking  on  the  good  ship  Stella. 

"  There  is  no  hope  of  my  ever  winning  Berenice," 
he  said,  though  without  assigning  any  reason  for  com- 
ing so  suddenly  to  this  lugubrious  conclusion. 

Before  his  departure,  however,  he  did  Crispus  a  good 
service  by  introducing  him  to  a  brave  and  worthy 
Roman,  Terentius  Rufus  by  name.  He  was  the  captain 
of  the  garrison  stationed  at  Jerusalem,  and  had  come 
with  his  cohort  to  Cassarea  to  aid  in  the  work  of  sup- 
pressing the  riots  that  were  almost  certain  to  arise  upon 
the  coming  publication  of  Nero's  edict  relative  to  the 
precedency  claimed  by  the  Jews  and  the  Greeks. 

Terentius  Rufus,  like  Crispus,  had  received  an  invita- 
tion to  the  banquet  of  Florus,  and  so,  at  the  appointed 
time,  the  two  presented  themselves   at  the  Pratorium. 

Upon  making  their  way  to  the  hall  appropriated  to 
the  feast,  a  hall  called  Neronium  after  the  reigning 
emperor,  they  paused  a  moment  at  the  entrance  to  con- 
template the  sight.  The  marble  saloon,  supported  by 
porphyry  columns  and  blazing  with  the  radiance  of  a 
thousand  lamps,  was  a  scene  of  glitter,  movement,  and 
color.  Sweet  spices  burned  in  gilded  tripods ;  the  rarest 
flowers  glowed  from  sculptured  vases;  the  ivory  tri- 
clinia with  their  purple  cushions,  the  lavish  display  of 
gold  and  silver  plate,  the  rich  dresses  and  jewels  of 
the  ladies,  made  a  picture  destined  to  live  long  in  the 
memory  of  Crispus. 

He  marveled  to  see  such  splendor  in  the  hall  of  a 
provincial  governor. 

"  Whence  does  Florus  obtain  the  wealth  that  enables 
him  to  make  such  a  display.?  "  he  asked. 

"  There  are  others  who  would  like  an  answer  to  that 
question,"  repHed  Rufus,  mysteriously. 

"Where  is  Florus.?"  asked  Crispus,  glancing 
around,  and  not  seeing  the  procurator. 

"  Probably  tickling  his  throat  with  a  feather  to  pro- 


20  The  Doomed  City 

duce  a  vomit,"  answered  Rufus,  referring  to  the  dis- 
gusting custom  practiced  by  many  Romans  of  that 
age  for  the  purpose  of  creating  an  appetite.  "  You 
may  trust  him  to  do  full  justice  to  the  banquet." 

Crispus  was  not  slow  to  recognize  among  the  guests 
that  type  of  physiognomy  which,  graved  on  Egyptian 
monuments  long  ere  Rome  was  founded,  has  continued 
almost  unchanged  to  the  present  day. 

"  There  are  many  Jews  here  to-night,"  remarked  he. 

"  And  Jewesses,  too,"  replied  Rufus ;  "  and  here 
comes  the  fairest  of  them  all,  leaning  upon  the  arm  of 
Florus.     For  a  wonder  he's  sober !  " 

There  was  a  sudden  cessation  of  tongues  as  a  curtain 
that  draped  a  certain  archway  was  lifted  by  two  bowing 
slaves  to  give  entrance  to  the  procurator. 

Glancing  around,  Florus  immediately  caught  sight 
of  Crispus,  and  advanced  to  give  him  welcome.  He 
was  accompanied  by  a  lady,  none  other  than  the  Prin- 
cess Berenice,  and  as  Crispus  quietly  surveyed  her,  he 
thought  it  no  wonder  that  Titus  should  have  fallen 
in  love  with  her  at  first  sight.  She  had  dark  hair  and 
dark  starry  eyes,  and  a  face  which,  when  radiant  with 
a  smile  as  it  was  at  that  moment,  was  perfectly  dazzling 
in  its  loveliness.  Her  figure,  which  was  as  beautiful 
as  her  face,  was  appareled  in  a  robe  of  purple  silk, 
embroidered  with  flowers  of  gold  and  adorned  with  the 
costliest  pearls. 

She  greeted  Crispus  with  a  sweet  smile  of  recogni- 
tion. 

"  Do  not  neglect  me  to-night  as  you  did  at  Antioch," 
she  said  half- jestingly,  and  then  giving  him  a  witching 
glance  she  passed  on,  with  Florus,  to  her  place  at  the 
banquet.  While  the  procurator  reclined  at  full  length 
upon  the  triclinium,  Berenice  sat  erect  beside  him,  for 
the  posture  assumed  by  men  at  the  banquet  was  deemed 
unbecoming  in  women. 

Crispus  and  Rufus  had  places  assigned  them  at  the 
triclinium  adjoining  that  of  Florus,  and  upon  the  same 


The  Banquet  of  Florus  21 

couch  with  them  reclined  a  shrewd-looking,  keen-eyed 
man,  who,  so  Rufus  informed  Crispus,  went  by  the  name 
of  Tertullus,  and  was  a  distinguished  forensic  orator. 

"  Mark  well  his  noble  name,"  said  Rufus,  laughingly. 
"  Tertullus,  thrice-Tully  !  What  could  be  more  suitable 
for  an  orator.?  Take  my  advice,  Crispus,"  continued 
he,  "  if  you  have  a  lawsuit  while  at  Cffisarea,  fail  not 
to  employ  my  friend  Tertullus,  who  never  undertook 
a  case  he  did  not  win." 

"  Save  once,"  corrected  Tertullus.  "  Paul  of  Tarsus 
escaped  the  stoning  we  had  marked  out  for  him." 

"  Ah !  I  am  forgetting  him.  The  dog,  it  seems,  is 
a  Roman  citizen.  He  appealed  to  Nero,  who  let  him 
off." 

"  And  what  was  the  result  ?  "  commented  Tertullus. 
"  A  few  months  later  Rome  was  in  flames,  lit  by  the 
hands  of  his  disciples.  The  wretches !  Haters  of  man- 
kind! I  know  of  only  one  class  of  men  more  vile  than 
they,  and  that  is  the  sect  of  the  Zealots,  whose  latest 
victim  I  am." 

"  How  mean  you.^*  "  asked  Rufus. 

"  Have  you  not  heard .''  No?  Well,  a  few  days  ago 
I  was  journeying  from  Jericho  to  the  Jewish  capital. 
Knowing  the  state  of  the  country,  I  traveled  in  the 
company  of  an  armed  caravan  that  was  going  the  same 
way.  We  took  a  long  circuit  northwards  to  avoid  the 
dreaded  Pass  of  Adummim ;  all  to  no  purpose.  Mana- 
hem  and  his  Zealots,  like  vultures  scenting  their  quarry 
afar,  swooped  down  upon  us.  I  was  one  of  the  few 
that  escaped.  When  is  Florus  going  to  dispatch  an 
expedition  against  that  robber  crew.''" 

"  Did  you  lose  aught  .'*  " 

"  Some  gold  plate,  and — ^what  I  treasured  above  all 
earthly  things — a  myrrhine  vase,  so  precious  that  I 
weep  when  I  think  of  it." 

"  Don't  think  of  it,  then,"  said  Rufus.  "  Turn  to  a 
more  pleasant  theme,  the  Princess  Berenice.  She  looks 
more  charming  and  more  youthful  than  ever  to-night. 


22  The  Doomed  City 

Now,  how  old  should  you  take  her  to  be?  "  he  continued, 
addressing  Crispus. 

"  Not  much  past  twenty,"  he  hazarded. 

Rufus  laughed  pleasantly. 

"  Why,  'tis  sixteen  years  ago  since  she  married  Po- 
lemo.     She  cannot  be  a  day  younger  than  thirty-eight." 

Crispus  was  surprised  to  hear  it. 

"  There  is  many  a  young  girl  here  to-night,"  said  he, 
"  who  looks  older  than  the  princess." 

"  Berenice  takes  extreme  pains  to  preserve  her 
beauty,"  remarked  Rufus.  "  'Tis  said  that,  like  Pop- 
paea,  she  bathes  daily  in  asses'  milk  to  render  her  skin 
soft  and  supple." 

Florus  now  gave  the  signal  for  the  feast,  and  there 
entered  a  train  of  pretty  Greek  maidens  with  baskets 
containing  wreaths  of  flowers,  for  to  dine  ungarlanded 
would  have  been  a  departure  from  fashionable  usage. 
Berenice  chose  a  wreath  of  violets ;  Florus  made  a  simi- 
lar selection. 

"  The  flower  honored  by  a  princess  must  be  my 
choice,  too,"  he  whispered. 

This  little  by-play  did  not  pass  unnoticed  by  Crispus. 

"  Florus  is  madly  in  love  with  her,"  commented  Ru- 
fus.    "  For  the  matter  of  that,  who  isn't .?  " 

"  I  thought  that  Florus  already  had  a  wife,"  said 
Crispus. 

"  That's  no  obstacle  in  these  lax  days,  when  a  man 
takes  a  new  wife  with  each  year.  It  is  whispered  that 
Florus  contemplates  divorcing  Cleopatra." 

"Where  is  Cleopatra  at  this  present  time.?"  asked 
Crispus. 

"  In  Rome,"  answered  Tertullus,  as  he  fixed  a  gar- 
land of  roses  upon  his  head,  "  looking  after  her  precious 
husband's  interests.  He  takes  advantage  of  her  ab- 
sence to  pay  court  to  Berenice,  who  cares  not  a  whit 
for  him,  and  intends  no  hurt  to  Cleopatra.  Berenice 
is  not  to  be  too  hastily  condemned,"  he  continued,  ob- 
serving Crispus'  frown.     "  Her  action  in  this  matter, 


The  Banquet  of  Florus  23 

as  in  all  others,  is  guided  by  two  motives — love  of  her 
people,  and  love  of  her  own  superstition.  Now,  Florus, 
in  the  exercise  of  his  procuratorship,  can,  if  he  be  so 
minded,  inflict  injuries  upon  the  Jewish  people,  and 
can  also,  though  to  a  limited  extent,  interfere  with  the 
administration  of  their  public  worship.  '  But,'  argues 
our  fair  Berenice,  '  he  is  not  likely  to  adopt  these 
courses  while  seeking  to  win  me,  who  am  a  Jewess. 
Therefore,  for  the  good  of  the  Jews  I  will  amuse  him 
with  hopes.'  Now  after  this  long  speech,"  added  Ter- 
tullus,  "  let  me  eat.  I  can  see  the  lampreys  coming, 
and  they  are  my  favorite  dish." 

And  the  delicacy  being  set  before  him,  Tertullus  ap- 
plied himself  thereto.  After  a  time  he  raised  his  voice 
and  addressed  the  procurator. 

"  I  have  myself,  O  Florus,  given  great  attention  to 
the  breeding  of  lampreys,  but  I  confess  that  I  can 
never  get  them  to  attain  the  delicate  flavor  of  those 
bred  by  you." 

Two  or  three  other  guests  made  similar  remarks. 

Florus  smiled  with  the  air  of  a  man  who,  having  dis- 
covered an  excellent  thing,  is  determined  to  keep  it  to 
himself. 

"  Now,  it  is  precisely  because  I  happen  to  know  how 
the  delicate  flavor  is  acquired,"  whispered  Rufus,  "  that 
I  avoid  partaking  of  that  dish." 

"By  the  trident  of  Neptune,"  said  Tertullus,  "I 
wish  you  would  communicate  the  secret  to  me,  for  I  am 
mightily  fond  of  lampreys." 

"  Well,  keep  it  a  secret,  for  Florus  may  not  thank 
me  for  telling  it.  Whenever  one  of  his  slaves  commits 
a  fault  worthy  of  death,  the  poor  wretch,  instead  of 
being  hanged,  is  flung  into  the  piscina  to  feed  the 
lampreys.  By  the  gods,  I  do  not  jest,"  he  added,  as 
he  noted  Tertullus'  look  of  incredulity.  "  Get  his  chief 
piscinarius  into  a  comer,  put  a  dagger  to  his  throat, 
and  he'll  confess  that  what  I  say  is  true." 

As  the  Roman  law  gave  to  a  master  the  power  of 


24  The  Doomed  City 

life  and  death  over  his  slaves,  Florus'  peculiar  practice 
did  not  evoke  from  Crispus  the  abhorrence  that  the  man 
of  the  twentieth  century  would  express  at  such  a,  deed. 
As  for  Tertullus,  he  even  went  so  far  as  to  intimate 
that  he  might  adopt  the  practice  himself. 

"  If  a  slave  must  die,"  argued  he,  "  let  him  die  in 
a  way  that  will  add  to  his  master's  enjoyment." 

Crispus  sought  to  change  the  subject  of  conversation 
by  asking  Rufus  the  name  of  the  richly-clothed  man 
who  reclined  on  the  left  of  Florus ;  he  was  a  majestic- 
looking,  dark-skinned  personage,  with  hair  and  beard 
finely  dressed.  At  the  beginning  of  the  feast  he  had 
drawn  forth  a  little  ivory  casket,  from  which  he  had 
produced  an  asp  that  had  immediately  twined  itself 
around  his  bare  arm,  and  there  it  remained  partaking 
occasionally  of  such  morsels  as  its  master  chose  to  give. 

"That,"  replied  Tertullus,  "is  Theomantes,  the 
priest  of  Zeus  Csesarius,  and  a  skilled  diviner." 

"  And  the  serpent  he  carries  with  him,  if  you  are  fool 
enough  to  believe  it,"  remarked  Rufus,  "  is  an  incarna- 
tion of  the  great  Zeus  himself.  You  can  see  by  the 
place  assigned  to  Theomantes  how  highly  he  is  esteemed. 
Every  Roman  governor  nowadays  must  have  a  sooth- 
sayer in  attendance  upon  him,  and  Florus  would  not 
be  out  of  the  fashion.  It  is  this  Theomantes  who  sup- 
plies our  procurator  with  the  liquid  for  his  daily  bath." 

"  The  liquid.?     What  liquid?  " 

"  Well,  not  water,  which  is  good  enough  for  common 
mortals  like  you  and  me,  nor  yet  milk,  which  the  fair 
Berenice  finds  so  excellent  a  cosmetic.  Florus'  taste 
runs  in  favor  of  blood." 

"  Blood!  "  ejaculated  Crispus. 

"  Even  so.  Do  you  not  know  that  by  some  physi- 
cians blood  is  deemed  very  efficacious  in  strengthening 
the  human  frame  when  exhausted  by  debauchery?  So 
our  dear  governor  bathes  daily  in  a  sanguinary  fluid 
drawn  from  the  veins  of  oxen  slain  in  sacrifice,  his  super- 
stitious fancy  disposing  him  to  believe  that  there  will 


The  Banquet  of  Florus  25 

be  more  virtue  in  blood  of  that  sort.  Oh,  it's  not  an 
uncommon  practice,  I  assure  you.  We've  even  drawn 
from  the  Greek  a  name  for  it,  callings  it  taurobolium." 

"  Every  man  to  his  taste,"  commented  Crispus,  dryly ; 
and  continuing  his  inquiries  as  to  the  guests,  he  asked, 
"  Who  is  that  fierce  graybeard  reclining  next  to  Theo- 
mantes  ?  " 

"  Ananias,  son  of  Nebedeus,  at  one  time  high  priest 
of  the  Jews,"  replied  Rufus. 

"  And  a  cheating  knave ! "  commented  Tertullus. 
"  In  his  prosecution  of  Paul  of  Tarsus  before  Felix 
he  employed  me  as  advocate,  and  hath  never  yet  paid 
me  my  fee.     But  I'll  be  even  with  him." 

"  Do  you  mark,"  continued  Rufus,  "  how,  from  time 
to  time,  Ananias  glowers  at  Theomantes .?  He  con- 
siders that  he  himself  should  be  sitting  next  the  gov- 
ernor." 

"  He  is  welcome  to  the  place  for  me,"  laughed  Cris- 
pus. "And  who  is  the  fair  damsel  beside  him.-^  His 
daughter.?  " 

"  Daughter  me  no  daughter,  forsooth !  "  returned 
Rufus.  "  That  is  Asenath,  a  Syrian  dancing-girl,  and 
his  latest  favorite." 

"  I  must  reluctantly  confess  he  hath  a  pretty  taste," 
said  Tertullus ;  "  she  is  a  delicious  armful." 

"  And  she  is  desirous,  you  see,  that  we  should  observe 
the  fact,"  remarked  Rufus. 

The  girl  in  question  was  a  lovely  brunette,  attired 
in  a  Coan  robe  which,  even  in  that  decadent  age,  was 
deemed  a  trifle  too  extreme,  consisting  as  it  did  of 
silk  so  transparent  in  texture  that  the  shapely  limbs 
of  the  wearer  could  be  seen  as  through  colored 
glass. 

And,  be  it  observed,  she  was  not  the  only  female  at 
the  banquet  thus  diaphanously  clad! 

"  That's  the  girl,"  continued  Rufus,  "  to  please 
whom  he  burnt  in  his  own  house  the  incense  that  it  is 
not  lawful  to  burn  anywhere  save  upon  the  altar  of 


26  The  Doomed  City 

the  Jewish  temple.  And  as  she  was  once  curious  to 
view  the  Jewish  worship,  Ananias  had  the  way  from 
his  house  to  the  temple  carpeted  for  her  pretty  feet, 
and  canopied  to  shield  her  from  the  sun.  And  he  him- 
self was  so  fastidiously  minded  that  he  was  accustomed 
to  wear  silk  gloves  at  the  altar  to  avoid  soiling  his 
dainty  fingers  with  the  blood  of  the  sacrifices,^  though 
why  a  Sadducee,  such  as  he,  should  want  to  worship 
God  at  all  is  a  mystery  to  me.  In  the  opinion  of 
Ananias  man  dies  as  a  dog  dies.  It  seems  to  me  that 
a  God  who  creates  man  from  dust  merely  to  turn  him 
into  dust  again  is  scarcely  deserving  of  worship.  What 
say  you  ^  " 

"  Old  Homer  could  have  taught  him  better  doctrine 
than  that,"  returned  Crispus. 

The  conversation,  it  will  be  seen,  was  taking  a  theo- 
logical turn ;  something  of  like  sort  was  happening  at 
the  adjoining  triclinium  of  Florus. 

"  I  hate  these  Christians  as  much  as  you  do,"  re- 
marked the  procurator  to  Berenice.  "  But  Nero  hath 
taught  us  how  to  deal  with  them.  And  you  say  there 
are  still  some  of  this  sect  at  Jerusalem?  I  had  thought 
that  my  predecessor  Albinus,  in  slaying  James,  the 
brother  of  this  Christus,  had  put  an  end  to  these  fanat- 
ics. You  shall  have  your  way,  princess.  Within  a 
week  of  my  coming  to  Jerusalem  there  shall  not  be  a 
Christian  left  alive." 

"  Now  the  gods  confound  these  Christians ! "  said 
Tertullus  aloud.  "  They  grow  daily  wilder  and  madder 
in  their  blasphemies.  They  have  now  the  effrontery 
to  affirm  that  this  Christus  of  theirs,  who  died  in  the 
eighteenth  year  of  Tiberius  Csesar,  was  something  more 
than  a  man,  that  this  Galilasan  peasant  was  in  very 
truth  a  manifestation  of  the  supreme  deity,  the  creator 
of  the  universe,  and  the  great  To  Pan  spoken  of  by 
the  divine  Plato." 

At  these  words  there  was  on  the  part  of  Crispus  a 
start  as  of  surprise. 


The  Banquet  of  Florus  27 

"  When  do  you  sa.y  this  Christus  died  ?  "  he  asked 
somewhat  quickl}'. 

"  In  the  eighteenth  year  of  Tiberius  Csesar,"  replied 
Tertullus. 

"  In  what  month?  " 

"  On  the  fourteenth  of  Nisan,  according  to  the  Jewish 
calendar." 

"  Which  in  our  st^'le  would  be  the  seventh  of  April," 
explained  Rufus,  after  a  rapid  mental  calculation, 

Crispus'  surprise  seemed  to  deepen. 

"  And  you  say  the  Christians  call  their  founder 
To  Pax  ?     Strange  !  "  he  murmured. 

"Why  so.?"  asked  Florus. 

"  I  could  tell  a  curious  story  of  that  month  and 
year.     But  there !  let  it   pass." 

"  No,  we  must  not  let  it  pass,"  cried  Florus,  and 
thinking  to  do  honor  to  Crispus,  he  said  to  those  within 
his  immediate  vicinity,  "  Silence,  friends,  for  the  noble 
Crispus'  story." 

All  eyes  were  bent  upon  Crispus,  who  hesitated  for  a 
moment,  and  then,  seeing  expectancy  written  upon  the 
faces  of  the  guests,  he  began: 

"  Well,  since  you  will  have  it:  At  the  time  just  men- 
tioned, namely  the  month  of  April  in  the  eighteenth 
year  of  Tiberius,  there  chanced  to  be  upon  the  Ionian 
Sea  a  merchant  vessel  bound  for  Italy.  It  was  even- 
tide ;  the  breeze  had  died  away,  and  the  ship  lay  be- 
calmed off  the  Isle  of  Paxos.  Suddenly  the  stillness 
that  lay  upon  land  and  sea  was  broken  by  a  voice  com- 
ing from  the  lonel}^  shore — a  voice  clear  and  solemn, 
and  one  that  carried  awe  to  all  who  heard  it,  for  it 
seemed  scarcely  to  belong  to  earth.  '  Thamus! '  it 
cried.  Now  the  pilot  of  the  vessel  happened  to  be  one 
Thamus,  an  Egyptian,  a  man  of  humble  and  obscure 
origin,  and  not  so  much  as  known  by  name  to  those 
on  board.  Full  of  fear,  he  let  himself  be  called  twice 
ere  he  would  answer.  At  the  third  ci^y  he  found  cour- 
age  to    ask,   'What  want   you?'      And   thus   did   the 


28  The  Doomed  City 

voice  make  reply :  '  When  thou  comest  to  Pelodes,  cry 
aloud  that  the  great  Pan  is  dead.'  That  was  all ;  no 
more.  The  passengers,  amazed  and  awed  by  the  event, 
debated  among  themselves  whether  it  would  be  wise  to 
obey  the  mysterious  voice.  Thamus,  himself,  deter- 
mined the  matter:  if  on  attaining  the  appointed  place 
there  should  be  wind  enough  to  fill  the  sails,  he  would 
pass  by  in  silence,  but  if  not,  he  would  proclaim  the 
message.  The  breeze  freshened,  the  ship  glided  on, 
but  when  they  reached  Pelodes  it  made  no  further 
progress,  for  the  wind  suddenly  dropped  again. 
Thamus,  therefore,  taking  his  stand  upon  the  prow, 
turned  his  face  to  the  land,  and  shouted  in  a  loud 
tone,  '  Great  Pan  is  dead!  '  Then  from  the  hitherto 
silent  shore  there  arose  a  sound  like  the  voice  of  a  multi- 
tude, a  sound  as  of  weeping  and  wild  lament." 

Such  was  the  story  told  by  Crispus,  and  he  finished 
with  the  odd  feeling  that  the  telling  of  it  had  pleased 
neither  the  Jewish  nor  the  Gentile  portion  of  his  audi- 
tors. 

"Whence  do  you  derive  this  story?"  asked  Theo- 
mantes  with  a  somewhat  supercilious  air. 

"  From  my  father,  himself  a  passenger  in  this  same 
vessel." 

"  Who  were  they  that  made  these  sounds  ?  " 

"  Beings  more  than  mortal ;  of  that  he  is  con- 
vinced." 

"  Gods  and  demons  ?  " 

"  It  may  be  so." 

"  In  a  lamenting  mood?  " 

"  A  wailing  as  of  despair,  so  my  father  describes 
the  sound." 

"  Gods  in  despair  at  the  death  of  someone?  And 
this  happened  in  Greece  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  Ti- 
berius? Would  you  have  us  believe  that  the  Christus 
crucified  by  Pilate  and  the  '  Great  Pan  '  of  your  story 
are  one  and  the  same,  and  that  his  death  has  caused 
the  downfall  of  the  gods?" 


The  Banquet  of  Florus  29 

"  I  am  hardly  likely  to  adopt  that  explanation,  be- 
lieving as  I  do  in  the  eternity  of  those  gods  by  whose 
worship  Rome  has  grown  so  great.  The  story  is  true, 
let  the  meaning  be  what  it  may,"  added  Crispus  in  a 
tone  whose  sharpness  deterred  Theomantes  from  mak- 
ing any  further  comment. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  QUEEN   OF  BEAUTY 

Now,  while  telling  his  story,  Crispus  had  become 
suddenly  alive  to  the  presence  of  a  very  beautiful  girl 
sitting  at  an  adjoining  triclinium.  It  was  not  so  much 
her  beauty,  however,  that  attracted  him  as  the  atten- 
tion she  had  paid  to  his  words.  She  was  by  far  the 
keenest  and  most  attentive  of  his  listeners,  seeming  to 
hang  breathless  upon  his  hps  during  the  whole  recital; 
of  all  the  assembly,  she  seemed  to  be  the  only  person 
to  receive  the  story  with  pleasure. 

"  Rufus,"  whispered  he,  "  who  is  that  girl  with  the 
lovely  golden  tresses?  To  the  left  of  us — on  the  next 
triclinium.''  " 

Rufus  turned  in  leisurely  fashion  to  survey  the  maid 
in  question. 

"  I  know  not  her  name,  or  who  she  is.  She  came 
hither  accompanied  by  him  who  reclines  beside  her.  As 
I  see  no  likeness  betwixt  the  two,  I  take  it  he  is  not  her 
father." 

The  man  referred  to  was  evidently  a  Hebrew,  and 
distinguished  both  by  his  noble  features  and  rich  attire. 

"  Her  father.?  Not  he!  "  said  Tertullus.  "  That  is 
Josephus,  a  Jew,  and  yon  damsel,  I'll  swear,  is  no 
Jewess.  There  is  a  grace  and  beauty  about  her  that  is 
quite  Ionic." 

"Who  is  this  Josephus.?"  asked  Crispus. 

"  He  is  a  priest  of  the  first  of  the  twenty-four 
courses,"  rephed  Tertullus,  "  and  a  rabbi  so  won- 
drously  wise  from  his  cradle  upwards  that  when  he  was 
only  fourteen,  aged  priests  and  venerable  sanhedrists 

30 


The  Queen  of  Beauty^  81 

would  consult  him  on  points  of  the  law  too  hard  for 
their  own  understanding." 

"  What's  jour  authority  for  that  story  ?  "  said  Ru- 
fus  dryly. 

"  The  best  authority — his  own.'  He  hath  told  me  so 
many  a  time.  At  the  mature  age  of  seventeen  he  had 
exhausted  the  whole  course  of  philosophy,  and  had 
decided  that  Pharisaism  is  the  road  to  heaven.  But 
though  a  Pharisee,  he  cultivates  Grecian  literature,  has 
literary  aspirations,  and  is  said  to  be  writing  at  the 
present  time  a  treatise  that  shall  prove  us  Greeks  and 
Romans  to  be  in  the  matter  of  antiquity  mere  children 
of  yesterday  when  compared  with  the  Jews." 

Josephus  did  not  much  interest  Crispus,  but  the 
young  girl  did,  and  he  continued  to  watch  her.  This 
was  probably  her  first  experience  of  a  Gentile  banquet, 
and  she  seemed  ill  at  ease  amid  her  new  surroundings. 
And  no  wonder !  If  the  naked  statuary  and  voluptuous 
paintings  to  be  seen  around,  the  immodest  Coan  robes 
worn  by  the  women,  and  the  shameless  license  of  their 
language  were  distasteful  even  to  the  pagan  Crispus, 
how  much  more  so  to  a  young  maiden  trained  in  the 
pure  and  lofty  principles  of  Judaism  ?  Berenice,  alas ! 
reared  in  the  atmosphere  of  a  decadent  court,  could 
learn  in  the  Prjetorium  of  Florus  little  that  was  new 
in  the  shape  of  wickedness,  but  the  case  was  far  differ- 
ent with  a  young  and  innocent  girl. 

"  If  this  Josephus  be  her  guardian,  he  is  not  exer- 
cising much  discretion,"  thought  Crispus.  "  The  ban- 
quet-hall of  Florus  is  not  the  place  to  bring  a  young 
girl  to." 

At  this  point  Ananias,  the  ex-high  pontiff  of  the 
Jews,  and  Theomantes,  the  priest  of  Zeus  Caesarius, 
created  a  diversion. 

"  Ay,  ay,"  muttered  Rufus,  "  I  knew  that  they'd  be 
quarreling  ere  long." 

The  two  representatives  of  antagonistic  religions 
were  holding  an  animated  dispute ;  as  the  controversy 


32  The  Doomed  City 

waxed  hotter  their  voices  rose  proportionately,  till  at 
last  they  attracted  general  attention.  Everyone  else 
in  the  assembly  left  off  talking  to  listen  to  the  dis- 
putants. 

"Mercury  a  thief?"  cried  Theomantes.  "So  be  it, 
then !  And  is  it  not  written  in  your  foolish  scriptures 
that  while  Adam  slept  God  stole  from  his  side  a  rib 
which  He  fashioned  into  the  first  woman.'*  What  else, 
then,  is  your  God  but  a  thief.''  " 

Ananias'  reply  was  anticipated  by  the  Princess  Bere- 
nice, ever  quick  to  defend  her  ancestral  religion. 

"  I  will  answer  you,"  said  she  to  Theomantes.  "  Last 
night  some  thieves  broke  into  my  house,  and  stole  a 
silver  vase."  She  paused  for  a  moment,  then  added, 
"  But  they  left  a  golden  one  in  its  stead." 

The  Jewish  guests  greeted  Berenice's  little  parable 
with  loud  applause. 

"  Jupiter ! "  laughed  Florus,  "  I  wish  such  thieves 
would  come  every  night." 

Theomantes  returned  to  the  attack.  Holding  his 
serpent  close  to  the  face  of  Ananias,  and  causing  the 
reptile  to  give  a  hiss  that  made  the  Hebrew  priest 
start,  he  laughed  and  said: 

"  My  God  is  greater  than  yours." 

"  Prove  it,"  sneered  Ananias. 

"  Is  it  not  written  that  when  your  God  appeared  in 
the  burning  bush,  Moses  drew  near,  but  when  he  saw 
the  serpent,  which  is  my  god,  he  fled?  " 

"  True,"  replied  Berenice,  answering  for  the  silent 
Ananias,  "  and  a  few  steps  sufficed  to  put  him  beyond 
reach  of  the  serpent.  But  how  can  one  flee  from  our 
God,  Who  fills  all  space.  Who  at  one  and  the  same 
time  is  in  heaven  and  in  earth,  on  sea  and  on  land?  " 

Theomantes,  about  to  continue  the  dispute,  was 
checked  by  a  gesture  from  Florus,  so  the  heathen  priest, 
with  a  somewhat  dark  look  at  Berenice,  subsided  into 
silence. 

"  You  have  here,"  commented  Rufus,  "  a  specimen 


The  Queen  of  Beauty  33 

of  what  is  always  happening  in  Cassarea  when  Jew 
and  Gentile  meet.     But,  ah!  here  cometh  the  wine." 

Now,  it  was  the  fashion  of  that  day  to  begin  the 
drinking  with  an  invocation  to  the  reigning  emperor, 
and  hence  Florus,  looking  around  upon  his  guests, 
lifted  his  cup  as  a  sign  for  them  to  do  the  like,  saying 
at  the  same  time : 

"  Friends,  a  libation  to  the  god  Nero !  " 

The  god  Nero ! 

Though  to  the  pagan  portion  of  the  assembly  the 
words  conveyed  no  impiety,  the  case  was  otherwise  with 
the  Jews,  but  those  present  were  of  the  worldly-wise 
class  that  sacrifices  religion  to  policy,  and  hence  most 
of  them,  including  the  Sadducee  Ananias  and  the  Phari- 
see Josephus,  shamelessly  prepared  to  join  with  Florus 
in  offering  to  the  wickedest  man  of  that  age  a  libation 
as  to  a  god. 

Now,  pagan  though  Crispus  was,  there  was  one  thing 
in  the  Roman  religion  that  he,  in  common  with  many 
others,  could  not  approve,  and  that  was  the  deification 
of  the  living  emperor,  especially  when  the  deification 
extended  to  such  a  one  as  Nero.  And  yet  to  refrain 
from  joining  in  the  libation  was  dangerous,  being  tan- 
tamount to  the  guilt  of  Icesa  ma  jest  as;  and  of  all 
crimes,  the  greatest,  in  the  eyes  of  the  buffoon  then 
at  the  head  of  the  empire,  was  the  refusal  to  acknowl- 
edge his  divinity. 

Come  what  might,  Crispus  determined  to  have  no 
part  in  the  libation,  and  while  there  was  on  all  sides 
a  preparatory  lifting  of  cups,  his  own  remained  un- 
touched. He  found  a  companion  in  Rufus,  and  some 
others,  including  the  unknown  maiden,  whose  eyes  were 
eloquently  expressive  of  abhorrence. 

He  and  those  of  like  thought  were  rescued  from  an 
embarrassing  situation  by  the  action  of  the  Princess 
Berenice.  With  a  pale  face  and  agitated  air  she  had 
risen  to  her  feet,  and  in  a  voice  trembling  with  sup- 
pressed emotion  she  addressed  the  wondering  assembly. 


34  The  Doomed  City 

"  There  once  reigned,"  she  began,  "  and  in  this  very 
city,  a  king  who,  on  a  set  day,  made  an  oration  to 
his  people ;  and  they  cried,  '  It  is  the  voice  of  a  god, 
and  not  of  a  man ! '  And  because  he  rebuked  not  their 
words  the  hand  of  heaven  smote  him  there  that  he  died. 
And  that  king,"  she  added,  with  a  catch  in  her  voice, 
"  that  king  was  my  father !  " 

The  fate  of  Agrippa  the  Elder  was  well  known  to  all 
the  guests,  some  of  whom,  indeed,  had  been  present 
at  that  divine  judgment — pronounced  by  the  smitten 
king  himself  to  be  divine — and  the  memory  of  the  event, 
added  to  the  impressive  words  and  solemn  manner  of 
his  fair  daughter,  caused  a  thrill  to  pervade  the  as- 
sembly. 

"  And  now,  O  Florus,  do  you  desire  the  like  fate  for 
Nero.''  To  call  him  god  is  to  draw  upon  him  the  wrath 
of  that  eternal  One,  Who  will  not  permit  His  glory  to 
be  given  to  another." 

As  she  sat  down  amid  a  murmur  of  approval  from 
the  better-minded,  it  became  suddenly  apparent  to 
Florus  that  he  had  made  a  big  blunder.  All-desirous 
as  he  was  of  winning  the  favor  of  Berenice,  he  had 
strangely  overlooked  the  fact  that  the  libation  in  the 
form  proposed  by  him  might  be  distasteful  to  the  re- 
ligious ideas  of  the  Jewish  princess.  He  gladly  seized 
the  opportunity  of  extricating  himself  from  an  awk- 
ward situation  by  endorsing  the  words  of  Crispus,  who 
said: 

"  The  princess  hath  spoken  well.  Let  us,  O  Florus, 
not  give  to  a  mortal,  however  highly  placed,  the  honor 
that  belongs  only  to  the  immortals." 

"  Be  it  as  the  princess  wishes,"  said  the  procurator. 
"  We  will  change  the  phrasing  to  one  in  which  all  may 
join."  With  that  he  added,  "To  the  health  of  the 
Emperor  Nero !  "  and  plashed  upon  the  tesselated  pave- 
ment a  few  drops  of  the  ruddy  wine,  an  example  in 
which  he  was  followed  by  the  rest  of  the  guests,  Jew 
and  Gentile  alike. 


The  Queen  of  Beauty  35 

"A  beautiful  cup,  O  Florus,"  remarked  Tertullus, 
attentively  eyeing  the  goblet  from  which  the  procurator 
had  made  his  libation.  "  I  am  quite  charmed  by  it. 
May  one  ask  for  a  closer  look?  " 

The  cup  in  question  was  one  of  those  myrrhme  vases 
imported  from  the  far  East,  vases  whose  delicate  semi- 
transparent  material  was  as  much  a  mystery  to  the 
ancient  Romans  as  it  is  to  the  modern  antiquary.  ^ 

"  Mark  my  word,"  whispered  Tertullus  to  Rufus,  "  if 
we  shall  not  find  on  one  side  of  that  cup  a  natural 
vein  of  purple  curving  into  something  like  the  shape 
of  a  Grecian  lyre." 

Florus,  always  glad  to  have  the  excellency  ot  his 
treasures  acknowledged,  addressed  a  slave. 

"  Girl,  pass  this  cup  to  the  noble  Tertullus.  A  judge 
of  art,  he  will  know  how  to  appreciate  such  a  work. 
By  the  gods,  have  a  care  how  you  carry  it  1 " 

The  girl,  thus  bidden,  conveyed  the  vessel  to  Ter- 
tullus. Its  chief  beauty  consisted  in  the  great  variety 
of  its  colors,  and  the  wreathing  veins  which  here  and 
there  presented  shades  of  purple  and  white,  with  a 
blending  of  the  two.  As  Tertullus  had  said,  one 
of    these    veins    bore    considerable    resemblance    to    a 

lyre. 

"  I  never  thought  to  see  thee  again,"  muttered  Ter- 
tullus to  himself,  apostrophizing  the  cup.     "  How  come 
you  here  in  the  hands  of  Florus?    A  rare  work  of  art,' 
he   added   aloud,   as   he   returned  the   cup  to   the   pro- 
curator.    "You  have  had  it  long?" 

"  These  seven  years." 

"  Seven  days,  you  mean,"  murmured  Tertullus ;  then 
aloud,  "  It  must  have  cost  an  immense  sum." 

"  Thirty  talents,"  replied  Florus  with  a  careless  air, 
as  though  the  amount  were  a  mere  trifle.  "  There  are 
but  two  vases  of  this  kind  in  all  the  empire ;  they  were 
brought  to  Rome  by  a  Parthian  merchant.  Petronius 
purchased  the  one,  I  the  other." 

"What   a  liar  you  are!"   thought  Tertullus;   and 


36  The  Boomed  City 

then,  as  if  dismissing  the  matter  altogether  from  his 
mind,  he  said  in  a  low  tone  to  Rufus : 

"  Doth  Simon  the  Black  still  linger  in  his  dungeon?  " 

Rufus  replied  in  the  affirmative. 

"  May  one  ask,"  smiled  Crispus,  "  who  is  this  Simon 
the  Black?  " 

"  You  are  a  stranger  in  Judaea,  or  you  would  not 
have  to  ask  that  question,"  returned  Rufus.  "  Simon 
the  Black  was  till  lately  the  chief  of  a  robber-band 
of  Zealots,  whose  haunt  was  among  the  almost  inacces- 
sible crags  that  overhang  the  Red  Way,  the  famous 
pass  that  leads  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho.  The  Jew 
was  allowed  to  traverse  the  pass  in  safety ;  the  ordinary 
Gentile  was  taken  captive  and  held  to  ransom ;  but 
as  to  the  Roman,  woe  to  him  if  caught ! — it  being  the 
way  of  Simon  to  hang  all  such  without  the  alternative 
of  a  ransom.  Hence  he  is  called  by  those  of  the  Jews 
who  hate  our  rule,  '  The  Scourge  of  the  Romans,'  and 
is  regarded  by  them  as  a  patriot. 

"  The  curious  part  of  it  all  is  that  Florus,  though 
often  appealed  to  both  by  the  Romans  and  Greeks  of 
Caesarea,  refrained  for  a  long  time  from  sending  a  mili- 
tary expedition  against  this  nest  of  robbers,  and  when 
at  last  he  yielded  to  public  pressure,  and  dispatched  my 
Italian  Cohort  on  the  errand,  his  parting  words  to  me 
were,  '  I  do  not  want  to  be  troubled  with  prisoners.' 
I  declined  to  take  the  hint,  however,  and  brought  back 
Simon  alive,  much,  it  would  seem,  to  the  mortification 
of  the  procurator.  And  here  at  Csesarea  the  fellow  lies 
in  a  dungeon,  Florus  strangely  refusing  to  put  him  on 
trial. 

"  It's  galling  to  think,"  added  Rufus,  "  that  my 
work  will  have  to  be  done  all  over  again.  The  pass 
hath  been  seized  by  another  bandit — Manahem,  a  son 
of  that  notorious  Judas  of  Galilee,  who  drew  away 
much  people  after  him  in  the  days  of  the  taxing.  More 
catholic  in  his  views,  he  plunders  and  slays  Jews  and 
Gentiles  alike.    And  now  again  Florus — odd,  is  it  not? 


The  Queen  of  Beauty  37 

— is  thwarting  me  in  my  wish  to  proceed  against  this 
new  malefactor." 

"  Not  at  all  odd,"  remarked  TertuUus,  "  if  my  suspi- 
cion be  correct;  and,  by  Castor!  I'll  try  to  verify  it 
before  twenty-four  hours  be  past."  And  then,  speak- 
ing aloud,  he  turned  and  addressed  the  procurator. 

"  O  Florus,  do  you  take  your  place  on  the  bema  to- 
morrow.''    'Tis  a  court  day." 

The  governor  frowned  at  this  introduction  of  busi- 
ness into  the  midst  of  pleasure. 

"  What  cases  are  there  to  try  ?  " 

*'  There  is  the  case  of  Simon  the  Black.  The  Romans 
and  Greeks   of  Caesarea  are   clamoring  for  his   trial." 

"  Let  them  clamor." 

"  The  long  delay  over  this  matter  hath  so  enraged 
them  that  they  swear  if  Simon  be  not  brought  to  justice 
by  the  next  court  day,  which  is  to-morrow,  they  will 
storm  the  prison,  and  will  themselves  bring  him  forth  to 
execution." 

"  And  should  they  make  the  attempt,"  remarked 
Rufus  gravely,  "  I  doubt  very  much,  O  Florus,  whether 
we  can  depend  upon  the  fidelity  of  our  cohorts  to  pre- 
vent it.  This  Simon  hath  slain  so  many  Romans  that 
military  and  civilians  alike  are  desirous  of  seeing  him 
brought  to  justice." 

Florus,  looking  very  ill  at  ease,  was  silent  for  a 
moment, 

"  You  are  convinced  that  our  captive  is  really  the 
Simon  the  Black,  and  that  he  hath  committed  the  crimes 
attributed  to  him.''  " 

"  Quite,"  replied  Tertullus.  "  I  have  documents  and 
witnesses  enough  to  prove  his  guilt  twenty  times  over." 

"  Why,  then,  need  we  go  to  the  trouble  of  a  public 
trial?  Since  you  are  certain  of  his  guilt,  I  will  do  as 
did  Antipas  with  him  that  was  called  '  The  Baptist ' — 
send  an  executioner  to  his  cell.  How  say  you.?  Speak 
the  word,  and  within  an  hour  you  shall  have  his  head 
here  upon  a  charger." 


38  The  Doomed  City 

"  Antipas'  act  is  a  bad  precedent,"  returned  Ter- 
tullus.  "  Your  predecessor  Festus,  as  Ananias  there 
can  testify,  was  more  equitably  minded.  '  It  is  not 
the  manner  of  the  Romans,'  said  he,  '  to  dehver  any 
man  to  die,  before  that  he  which  is  accused  have  the 
accusers  face  to  face,  and  have  license  to  answer  for 
himself  concerning  the  crime  laid  against  him.'  "  ' 

"  Words  deserving  to  be  written  in  letters  of  gold," 
commented  Crispus,  to  the  manifest  displeasure  of 
Florus. 

"  Moreover,"  observed  Rufus,  "  the  people  will  never 
believe  Simon  dead  if  he  be  secretly  executed." 

"  They  will,  when  they  see  his  head  over  the  Prae- 
torium  gate." 

"  His  crimes  have  been  open  and  public,"  said  Ter- 
tullus,  "  let  his  trial  be  so." 

"To-morrow.''"  said  Florus.  "Why  not  the  next 
day?" 

"  The  day  after  to-morrow  is  a  sabbath,"  replied 
Tertullus.  "  The  Jewish  witnesses  will  refuse  to  attend 
court  on  that  day." 

"  The  sabbath !  the  sabbath !  "  repeated  Florus  pet- 
tishly. "  Why  is  the  sabbath  greater  than  any  other 
day.?" 

"Why  are  you  greater  than  other  men.-'"  asked 
Berenice  gently. 

"  Because,  princess,  it  hath  pleased  Csesar  to  make 
me  so." 

"  Well,  then,  it  hath  pleased  the  Lord  to  make  the 
Sabbath  a  greater  day  than  any  other,"  smiled  Bere- 
nice, never  at  a  loss  for  an  answer  where  her  religion 
was  concerned. 

"  Will  not  the  noble  Florus,"  said  Crispus,  "  state 
the  reasons  for  his  delay  in  bringing  this  prisoner  to 
trial.?" 

The  noble  Florus  did  not  reply  to  this  pointed  ques- 
tion. He  frowned,  and  hesitated;  but,  with  a  son  of 
the  all-powerful  Legate  of  Syria  present  as  a  witness 


The  Queen  of  Beauty  39 

of  his  irregularities,  he  felt  he  could  not  do  otherwise 
than  grant  the  just  request  of  Tertullus. 

"  Have,  then,  your  way,"  said  he.  "  In  the  morning 
Simon  shall  be  put  upon  his  trial." 

And  with  that  he  resumed  his  conversation  with  Bere- 
nice. 

"  He'll  be  sorry  for  that  concession,"  laughed  Ter- 
tullus quietly ;  and  then,  turning  to  Rufus,  he  added, 
"  See  that  Simon's  guards  sleep  not  to-night.  Florus 
is  quite  capable  of  taking  him  off  secretly." 

"  You  mean " 

"  I  mean,"  whispered  Tertullus,  "  that  the  deferring 
of  the  trial  is  due  to  the  fact  that  this  Zealot,  if  brought 
into  open  court,  could  say  something  to  the  detriment 
of  Florus ;  what,  I  would  fain  find  out.  Therefore,  I 
say  again,  look  well  to  the  prisoner  to-night." 

Rufus  promised  that  he  would  see  to  the  matter. 

At  this  point  the  ears  of  the  guests  were  attracted 
by  a  sound  like  that  of  cords  passing  over  pulleys,  and 
looking  whence  it  came,  they  saw  a  curtain  that  draped 
a  wide  archway  ascend,  revealing  behind  it  a  stage. 

And  now,  while  the  palate  of  the  guests  was  being 
regaled  with  the  choicest  of  wines,  their  eyes  were  grati- 
fied by  a  series  of  beautiful  tableaux  drawn  from  the 
domain  of  classic  mythology.  The  last  of  these  repre- 
sented the  Judgment  of  Paris ;  by  a  trifling  departure 
from  the  original  story,  the  prize  of  the  fairest  goddess 
was  to  be  a  golden  zone. 

Paris,  apparently  unable  to  come  to  a  decision  as  to 
which  of  the  three  diaphanously-attired  goddesses  was 
the  fairest,  made  the  award  dependent  upon  their  danc- 
ing. At  this  there  followed  pas  seuls  of  such  a  char- 
acter that  the  modest  maiden  who  sat  by  Josephus  was 
compelled  to  avert  her  gaze. 

Venus,  having  received  the  award  from  the  hand  of 
the  Dardan  shepherd,  advanced  to  the  edge  of  the 
stage,  and  surveyed  the  audience. 

"  Alas !  "  she  cried  with  a  sudden  sigh,  "  Paris  has 


40  The  Doomed  City 

made  a  mistake,  for  I  see  one  here  more  lovely  than 
myself.  Let  the  gift  be  hers,  and  let  her  be  hailed  as 
Queen  of  Beauty." 

With  that  she  unclasped  the  golden  cestus  and  flung 
it  into  the  middle  of  the  hall  just  as  the  curtain  was 
falling  upon  the  tableau. 

A  slave,  picking  up  the  fallen  zone,  carried  it  to 
Florus. 

«  '  KAAAISTH '— '  for  the  fairest,'  "  said  he,  reading 
the  sapphire  letters  set  in  the  golden  cestus.  "  The 
question  is,"  continued  Florus,  looking  round  upon  a 
bevy  of  ladies  who  had  drawn  near  to  view  the  zone, 
and  it  was  well  worth  viewing  for  its  beautiful  work- 
manship, "  the  question  is,  who  is  the  fairest?  " 

But,  however  fair  each  lady  might  secretly  deem  her- 
self, as  there  was  not  found  any  bold  enough  to  come 
forwaa'd  and  claim  this  title,  it  became  clear  that,  if 
the  zone  must  be  bestowed  at  all,  it  would  be  necessary 
to  appoint  an  umpire  to  decide  this  ticklish  matter. 

The  ladies,  entering  with  a  zest  into  the  scheme,  were 
quite  willing,  so  they  averred,  to  submit  their  charms 
to  adjudication. 

"  A  pretty  little  tableau,  this,"  whispered  Rufus  to 
Crispus,  "  prearranged  by  Florus  for  the  purpose  of 
flattering  the  vanity  of  Berenice.  His  liking  for  her  is 
so  well  known  that  whoever  is  appointed  umpire — un- 
less he  be  a  very  independent  character — will  lack  the 
courage  to  decide  for  any  but  the  princess." 

A  proposal  on  the  part  of  Tertullus  to  appoint  the 
umpire  by  lot  was  received  with  acclamation.  Crispus, 
somewhat  against  his  will,  was  forced  by  Rufus  to  take 
his  place  among  the  candidates  for  the  office,  and,  what 
is  more,  when  his  turn  came  for  putting  his  hand  into 
the  balloting  urn  he  drew  forth  the  tessera  inscribed 
with  the  decisive  word,  "  Judex." 

He  compressed  his  lips,  much  preferring  that  the 
honor  should  have  fallen  upon  some  other. 

Rufus  now  made  a  proposition. 


The  Queen  of  Beauty  41 

"  Methinks  it  is  but  fair,"  said  he,  "  that  the  lady 
round  whose  waist  the  zone  is  clasped  should  bestow 
a  kiss  upon  the  adjudicator." 

This  was  laughingly  made  one  of  the  conditions  of 
the  contest. 

And  now,  amid  much  mirth,  about  twenty  of  the 
ladies  began  to  prepare  for  the  event.  The  rest,  either 
from  modesty  or  distrustful  of  their  charms,  drew  aside, 
content  to  look  on. 

Among  those  who  would  fain  have  withdrawn,  not 
only  from  the  contest,  but  also  from  the  palace  itself, 
was  the  young  girl  who  had  so  much  attracted  the 
notice  of  Crispus. 

"  Let  us  go,"  she  whispered  in  a  distressed  voice  to 
Josephus.     "  This  is  no  place  for  me." 

But  he  sought  gently  to  persuade  her,  by  dwelling 
upon  the  value  and  beauty  of  the  jeweled  zone,  the 
ease  with  which  it  was  obtainable,  the  pride  and  pleas- 
ure she  would  feel  in  being  hailed  as  the  Queen  of 
Beauty. 

"  The  zone  will  not  fall  to  me"  said  she.  "  Look, 
and  see  how  many  beautiful  women  there  are  around." 

"  None  so  beautiful  as  you,  Vashti." 

She  shook  her  golden  tresses  at  what  she  deemed  his 
partiality.  In  the  end,  however,  she  consented  to  let 
her  will  be  overborne  by  his. 

The  fair  contestants  were  now  moving  to  the  place 
of  judgment,  a  spacious  hemicycle  at  one  end  of  the 
banqueting  hall.  Among  them  were  the  Princess  Bere- 
nice, and  the  Syrian  Asenath,  the  favorite  of  Ananias. 

As  Vashti  moved  forward,  her  air  of  innocence  and 
purity  seemed  to  give  secret  offense  to  the  wanton 
dancing-girl ;  her  lip  curled  with  contempt,  and  resolv- 
ing to  strip  the  other  of  her  veil  of  modesty,  she  came 
out  with  a  proposal  of  a  malicious  and  daring  char- 
acter. 

"  How  can  it  be  told,"  cried  she,  "  who  is  the  love- 
liest,  so   long  as  we  remain   clothed.'*     The  robe  may 


42  The  Boomed  City 

hide  deformities.  Let  it  be  a  condition,  O  Florus,  that 
in  this  contest  we  appear  naked." 

Speaking  thus,  she  laid  both  hands  upon  her  swelling 
hips  ready  to  fling  off  her  robes  at  the  least  encourage- 
ment. 

Now,  seeing  that  in  the  Floralia  at  Rome  women 
were  accustomed  to  dance  quite  naked,  and  that  at 
Etruscan  banquets  the  ladies  often  showed  their  fair 
forms  without  any  clothing  whatever,  the  proposal  of 
Asenath  was  not  quite  so  startling  as  it  would  be  at 
the  present  day. 

There  were,  of  course,  screams  of  dissent  from  the 
fair  contestants  themselves,  but  to  the  gilded  and  de- 
cadent youth  of  that  assembly,  Gentile  and  Jew  alike, 
living  only  for  sensuality,  Asenath's  suggestion  met 
with  a  ready  approval.  Not  even  the  high  priest, 
Ananias,  lifted  his  voice  against  it.  The  Princess  Bere- 
nice stood  like  a  statue,  stately  and  still,  neither  assent- 
ing nor  dissenting.  As  for  Vashti,  her  cheeks  had  be- 
come of  a  deathly  white,  her  whole  air  and  attitude  were 
eloquent  of  a  vivid  horror  at  finding  herself  amid  a 
circle  of  gilded  youth  who  stood  by  waiting  only  the 
word  of  Florus,  to  assist  her,  volentem,  nolentem,  in  the 
task  of  disrobing. 

"  What  says  the  excellent  Florus.?  "  cried  Asenath. 

"  The  proposal  seems  to  me  to  be  fair,  for  the  robe, 
as  you  say,  may  hide  deformities.  But,"  he  continued, 
becoming  secretly  conscious  that  Crispus  did  not  favor 
the  idea,  "  the  question  is  out  of  my  hands ;  it  rests 
with  the  adjudicator." 

"  And  he,"  replied  Crispus,  "  decides  that  the  ladies 
shall  remain  clothed.  This  is  a  contest  for  beauty, 
and  there  is  no  beauty  where  there  is  no  modesty." 

"  O  good  and  pious  youth,  ascend  to  heaven !  "  said 
Asenath  with  a  mocking  laugh ;  and  realizing  that  her 
chance  of  winning  the  zone  was  gone,  she  stepped  from 
the  contending  circle  to  the  side  of  Ananias,  who  looked 
by  no  means  pleased  with  the  decision  of  Crispus.     He, 


The  Queen  of  Beauty  48 

the  priest  of  a  religion  that  claimed  to  be  purer  far 
than  any  of  the  pagan  systems,  had  received  a  tacit 
rebuke  from  a  pagan — a  mortifying  experience,  the 
more  so  as  he  secretly  felt  it  to  be  desei*ved. 

Compliant  with  the  directions  of  Florus,  the  con- 
testants took  their  station  upon  a  low  marble  seat  that 
lined  the  hemicycle;  and,  when  so  placed,  presented  a 
variety  of  faces  so  dazzling  in  beauty  as  to  make  the 
adjudicator's  task  a  hard  one. 

As  if  to  enhance  his  difficulty,  Crispus  received  at 
that  moment  a  piece  of  news  somewhat  startling  in 
character. 

Touched  upon  the  shoulder  by  a  hand,  he  turned, 
and,  to  his  surprise,  found  Polemo  by  his  side.  If  the 
Pontic  king  had  been  present  at  the  banquet  Crispus 
had  certainly  missed  seeing  him,  nor  could  he  now  tell 
from  what  corner  he  had  sprung. 

"  Athena'is  is  among  the  contestants!  "  whispered  the 
king;  and  ere  Crispus  could  put  a  question  to  him, 
Polemo  had  slipped  among  the  crowd  that  was  stand- 
ing around  to  watch  the  sight,  and  had  vanished  as 
mysteriously  as  he  had  appeared,  leaving  Crispus  in  a 
whirl  of  amazement. 

His  wife  among  the  contestants ! 

Stern  justice  required  that  the  prize  should  be  given 
to  the  fairest,  but  still,  for  all  that,  it  would  be  a 
graceful  compliment  to  let  his  wife  have  the  honor; 
it  would  certainly  please  her,  who  was  now  the  one 
women  whom  it  behoved  him  to  please.  But  how  to 
identify  her? 

There  was  additional  embarrassment  in  the  fact  that 
the  chosen  lady,  on  receiving  the  girdle,  was  to  bestow 
a  kiss  upon  the  judge  that  had  so  honored  her.  To  be 
kissed,  in  the  presence  of  his  unknown  wife,  by  a  lady 
adjudged  by  him  to  be  the  fairest  of  all  present !  If 
by  some  good  fortune  the  lady  chosen  should  happen 
to  be  Athenais,  well ! — but  if  not,  what  would  her  feel- 
ings he?     No  wonder  Crispus  shrank  from   the  task 


44  The  Doomed  City 

of  selection,  and  thought  for  a  moment  of  retiring  in 
favor  of  some  other  umpire. 

The  contestants  were  now  ready  awaiting  the  judg- 
ment. 

Permitted  to  adopt  whatever  attitude  they  pleased, 
the  majority  posed  as  if  for  a  sculptor.  A  few  stood 
or  sat,  but  the  greater  part  assumed  a  reclining  post- 
ure, as  being  the  better  adapted  to  display  the  grace 
of  their  figure.  Extraneous  ornaments  were  allowed; 
and  hence  one  lady,  lyre  in  hand,  posed  as  the  muse 
Polyhymnia ;  a  second,  toying  with  a  golden  vase,  as- 
sumed the  character  of  a  Danaid ;  a  third,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  showing  the  curve  of  a  graceful  arm,  held 
aloft  a  silver  lamp ;  while  a  fourth  displayed  a  snowy 
limb  in  the  feigned  operation  of  tying  her  sandal;  and 
so  on  of  the  rest,  each  forming  in  herself  a  living 
picture  that  would  have  charmed  the  eye  of  an  artist. 

Midway  in  the  hemicycle  sat  Berenice,  who,  neglect- 
ing all  adventitious  aids,  merely  sat  erect,  as  if  relying 
solely  upon  her  beauty,  and  next  her  came  the  timid 
Vashti,  taking  that  place  as  being  the  only  one  left 
vacant. 

Holding  the  girdle  in  his  hand,  Crispus  went  very 
slowly  along  the  semicircle,  passing  from  one  fair  form 
to  another,  and  studying  each  with  a  critical  eye. 

The  behavior  of  the  ladies  during  this  severe  scrutiny 
offered  a  variety  of  contrasts.  Some  blushed,  as  did 
Vashti ;  others,  like  Berenice,  sat  with  serene  dignity, 
as  if  unconscious  of  the  matter  in  hand ;  some  sought 
to  win  favor  by  a  caressing  glance ;  others  used  the 
witchery  of  a  sweet  smile;  and  one  or  two  there  were 
that  could  not  refrain  from  laughter. 

The  completion  of  his  survey  left  Crispus  undecided, 
and  disappointed:  Athenai's,  if  she  were  really  among 
these  ladies,  was  evidently  determined  to  keep  her  secret, 
since  she  had  given  no  sign  by  which  he  might  recognize 
her.  Among  the  many  sparkling  rings  worn  by  that 
fair  bevy,   there  was  none  that   he   could  identify   as 


Crispus  went  vt-ry  slowly  aU)ny  the  semi-cirele 


The  Queen  of  Beauty  45 

the  pledge  placed  by  him  upon  the  finger  of  his  bride 
twenty-four  hours  ago,  the  ring  set  with  a  ruby  sculp- 
tured with  the  likeness  of  a  temple  in  flames. 

Since  his  bride  chose  to  hide  her  identity  there  re- 
mained nothing  for  him  but  to  act  in  the  spirit  of 
strict  impartiality  by  awarding  the  zone  to  her  whose 
beauty  in  his  judgment  was  most  deserving  of  it,  a 
difficult  matter  where  all  were  so  beautiful.  Even  that 
arbiter  elegantiarum,  Petronius  (of  whose  friendship 
Florus  had  boasted),  had  he  been  present  would  have 
found  the  question  a  perplexing  one. 

Crispus  recommenced  his  survey,  amid  the  breathless 
excitement  of  those  most  immediately  concerned. 

"  He  has  seen  us  all,"  was  the  general  thought ; 
"  now  he  will  make  his  choice." 

Half-way  along  the  line  he  paused — hesitated — 
stood  still.  Directly  facing  him  were  the  Princess  Bere- 
nice and  the  maiden  Vashti.  His  glance,  divided  be- 
tween them,  showed  that  one  of  these  two  was  to  be 
his  choice,  and  a  little  sigh  of  envy  went  up  from 
eighteen  disappointed  hearts. 

For  some  moments  Crispus  stood  in  doubt.  Their 
beauty  was  equal,  or  nearly  so. 

The  Princess  Berenice,  with  her  raven  hair,  dusky 
eyes,  and  majestic  bearing,  seemed  like  the  incarnation 
of  dark  and  starry  night;  the  other,  with  her  soft 
violet  eyes,  tresses  like  sunbeams,  and  gentle  mien,  was 
like  fair  Aurora  sweetly  stealing  upon  the  eastern  sky. 
"  If  there  were  but  two  prizes !  "  murmured  the  un- 
happy Crispus. 

"Why  does  he  hesitate?"  growled  Florus.  "Is  it 
not  plain  to  be  seen  that  Berenice  is  the  fairer.!^  " 

That  girdle  had  cost  him  thirty  thousand  sesterces, 
and  he  did  not  want  to  see  it  bestowed  upon  a  person 
for  whom  he  had  not  intended  it. 

Berenice  met  the  scrutiny  of  her  judge  with  a  proud 
glance,  betokening  a  confidence  that  Crispus,  who  loved 
modesty,  did  not  like  to  see ;  on  the  other  hand,  Vashti 


46  The  Doo7ned  City 

ventured  but  once  to  raise  her  ejes  with  a  sweet,  timid, 
wondering  air  that  moved  him  strangely. 

That  glance  decided  the  event ! 

"  Lady,"  said  he,  "  what  is  your  name?  " 

"  Vashti,  daughter  of  Hyrcanus,"  was  the  reply, 
delivered  in  a  low,  trembling  voice. 

"  Then  Vashti,  daughter  of  Hyrcanus,  as  the  fairest 
of  all  present,  receive  this  golden  zone." 

Vashti  was  but  human ;  it  was  a  sweet  little  triumph 
for  her.  There  leaped  into  her  eyes  a  sudden  look  of 
pleasure,  a  look  that  was  succeeded  by  one  almost  akin 
to  fear  as  she  glanced  at  the  humiliated  princess,  whose 
beauty,  long  supreme  in  Judaea,  was  now  publicly  rele- 
gated to  a  second  place. 

Half  pleased,  half  frightened,  scarcely  knowing  what 
she  was  doing,  Vashti  rose  to  her  feet,  an  act  that  gave 
Crispus  the  opportunity  of  girding  her  waist  with  the 
zone,  and  securing  it  with  the  clasp. 

The  conferring  of  the  prize  upon  a  Jewess  occa- 
sioned dissatisfaction  among  some  of  the  Gentiles ;  a 
few,  too,  of  the  Jews  resented  that  the  Herodian  prin- 
cess should  be  excluded  in  favor  of  an  unknown  maiden. 
In  both  parties  there  was,  however,  a  majority  which, 
more  generous  in  sentiment,  or  perhaps  thinking  that 
Berenice  and  her  beauty  had  queened  it  too  long  over 
other  women,  expressed  its  approbation  by  the  shout : 

"  All  hail  to  Vashti,  the  Queen  of  Beauty ! " 

"Is  not  the  umpire,  too,  entitled  to  a  reward.''" 
asked  Crispus. 

Vashti  started  back  with  a  burning  blush  that  made 
her  look  the  more  beautiful. 

"  Nay,  I  must  not  forego  it." 

He  was  so  completely  dazzled  by  her  loveliness  as  to 
forget  for  the  moment  that  his  unknown  bride  was 
watching  him.  Taking  Vashti  by  both  hands  he  drew 
her  gently  towards  him,  and  momentarily  pressed  her 
warm,  red  lips  to  his  own,  an  act  greeted  by  the  com- 
pany with  another  round  of  applause. 


The  Queen  of  Beauty  47 

All  very  pretty,  but  what  would  Polemo  think  of  it? 

Becoming  suddenly  alive  to  the  existence  of  that 
monarch  he  looked  around  for  him,  and  saw  him  at  a 
distance  surveying  the  scene  with  a  sphinx-like  ex- 
pression that  gave  no  evidence  as  to  what  thoughts 
were  passing  within  him.  Crispus  took  a  step  in  his 
direction,  but  the  king,  as  if  wishing  to  avoid  him, 
vanished  among  the  crowd,  and  was  seen  no  more  that 
night. 

A  little  later  Rufus  addressed  a  question  to  Crispus. 

"  Did  you  notice  Berenice's  look  when  you  bestowed 
the  prize  of  beauty  upon  Vashti.''  " 

"  No;  how  did  she  look.''  "  asked  Crispus  absently. 

"  She  looked — she  looked,"  said  Rufus  reflectively, 
as  if  casting  about  in  his  mind  for  some  image  to  ex- 
press his  thoughts,  "  she  looked  the  picture  of  sorrow. 
She  looked — well,  don't  laugh  if  I  use  this  comparison 
— she  looked  as  a  wife  who  loves  her  husband  might 
look  when  she  sees  hin^  fascinated  by  another  woman." 

Crispus  started,  stared  strangely  at  Rufus,  then 
walked  away. 

"Now  what  have  I  said  to  offend  him.''"  muttered 
the  wondering  Rufus. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  DREAM  OF  CEISPUS 

Tempted  by  the  beauty  of  the  starry  night,  as  well 
as  by  the  wish  to  be  alone  with  his  thoughts,  Crispus 
passed  from  the  banqueting  hall,  and  sought  the  spa- 
cious gardens  attached  to  the  Praetorium,  gardens  that 
with  their  variegated  parterres  and  smooth  lawns, 
marble  fountains  and  shady  walks,  differed  little,  if  at 
all,  from  the  aspect  presented  by  a  modern  pleasaunce. 

There  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun !  Even  the  prac- 
tice of  forcing  shrubbery  to  assume  artificial  shapes 
was  not  unknown  to  the  ancients,  and  the  boscage  of 
these  gardens  presented  at  different  points  a  variety  of 
figures,  graceful  and  grotesque. 

Now,  as  Crispus  walked  meditatively  along  a  quiet 
path  he  caught  sight  of  a  distant  and  solitary  figure 
standing  by  a  marble  seat  that  gleamed  white  against 
a  background  of  dark  cypresses.  Her  face  was  turned 
from  him,  but  there  was  something  familiar  in  her 
form;  the  stature  and  shape  suggested  Berenice,  and 
as  he  drew  nearer  he  became  certain  of  it.  At  the 
sound  of  his  footsteps  the  figure  turned,  and  dimly, 
beneath  the  gloom  cast  by  the  cypress  leaves,  he  saw 
the  face  of  Berenice — Berenice,  yet  with  golden  hair! 
He  stopped  short  in  surprise.  Then  in  a  moment  the 
likeness  that  he  had  seen,  or  thought  he  had  seen,  van- 
ished, leaving  in  its  place — Vashti !  He  looked,  but  the 
resemblance  was  no  more.  A  mere  fancy  wrought  by 
his  imagination  and  the  dim  light. 

Vashti  greeted  him  with  a  shy  smile,  and  a  blush 
due  to  the  memory  of  the  kiss  that  he  had  bestowed 
upon  her. 

48 


The  Dream  of  Crispus  49 

She  was  awaiting,  it  seemed,  the  return  of  Josephus. 
He  had  left  her  there  for  a  moment  while  he  ran  off  to 
speak  a  word  with  Ananias,  whom  he  had  beheld  in  the 
distance. 

Crispus  looked  round,  but  could  see  neither  Ananias 
nor  Josephus ;  in  fact  could  see  no  one  save  the  beau- 
tiful maiden  beside  him. 

"  I'll  act  as  jour  guardian  till  his  return,"  smiled 
he,  as  he  seated  himself  and  invited  Vashti  to  do  the 
like. 

It  was  a  beautiful  night,  with  nothing  to  disturb 
its  stillness  save  the  far-off  sounds  of  music  and  revelry 
coming  from  the  Przetorium. 

Their  position,  on  ground  slightly  elevated,  gave 
them  a  full  view  of  the  sea,  a  purple  mirror  reflecting 
in  broken  sparkles  the  light  of  a  thousand  stars. 

To  their  left,  and  looking  like  a  long  white  ribbon 
flung  out  upon  the  dark  water,  was  the  mole  of  Cassarea, 
its  far  end  adorned  with  the  Drusion,  a  noble  tower 
upon  whose  top  a  fire  was  flaming  for  the  guidance 
of  ships  sailing  into  the  harbor. 

It  was  not,  however,  upon  the  Drusion  that  Crispus' 
eyes  were  set,  but  upon  Vashti.  He  longed  to  know 
something  of  her  personal  history,  and  the  present 
occasion  afforded  him  an  excellent  opportunity.  The 
difficulty  was  how  to  begin.  A  patrician  of  Rome,  who 
had  in  his  time  conversed  unrestrainedly  with  princesses 
and  queens,  and  even  with  the  Empress  Poppasa,  he 
actually  found  himself  embarrassed  in  the  presence  of 
this  Hebrew  maid  of  seventeen.  There  was  something 
about  her,  a  spirit  of  innocence  and  purity,  that 
marked  her  off  as  altogether  different  from  the  women 
of  that  age. 

However,  having  once  contrived  to  begin  a  conver- 
sation he  found  it  easy  to  maintain  it,  and  ere  long  he 
succeeded  in  eliciting  something  of  her  parentage  and 
history. 

Her  mother,  it  seemed,  was  a  wi3ow,  Miriam  by  name, 


50  The  Boomed  City 

who  had  one  other  child  only,  an  infant.  Her  father, 
Hyrcanus,  had  been  a  wealthy  rabbi  of  some  distinc- 
tion. ("  Clearly  Tertulliis  was  wrong,"  thought  Cris- 
pus,  "in  giving  her  a  Grecian  origin.")  Hyrcanus, 
at  his  death,  an  event  of  the  previous  year,  had  by 
will  left  his  family  and  effects  to  the  care  of  his  friend 
Josephus,  who  thus  exercised  in  relation  to  Vashti  the 
office  of  guardian.  She  and  her  mother  were  staying 
for  a  brief  space  only  at  Caesarea,  their  usual  home 
being  at  Jerusalem,  in  the  street  of  Millo.  Miriam,  a 
strictly  orthodox  Jewess,  had  been  much  opposed  to 
her  daughter's  going  to  a  Gentile  feast,  but  had  finally 
yielded  to  the  wishes  of  Josephus. 

All  this  was  told,  not  in  her  native  Syro-Chaldaic, 
but  in  Greek ;  and  Crispus  did  not  know  which  was 
the  more  charming,  the  melody  of  her  voice,  or  the 
grace  and  purity  with  which  she  spoke  the  beautiful 
language  of  Hellas. 

"  I  learned  the  Greek  from  my  father,"  she  explained 
in  answer  to  Crispus'  question.  "  He  trained  me  in 
it  from  infancy." 

Crispus  marveled  to  hear  of  a  Jew  with  views  so 
unorthodox. 

"  According  to  my  friend  Rufus,  your  rabbis  have 
said,  '  He  who  teaches  his  son  Greek  is  as  if  he  reared 
swine.'  " 

"  Some  rabbis  have  said  that.  But  my  father  be- 
longed to  the  school  of  Gamaliel,  who  taught  us  to 
appropriate  whatever  is  good  among  the  Gentiles.  The 
Greek  language  is  good,  and  Josephus  and  I  are  avail- 
ing ourselves  of  its  treasures." 

"  In  what  way .''  " 

Instead  of  giving  a  direct  reply,  Vashti  asked  a  seem- 
ingly irrelevant  question. 

"  How  old  should  you  take  our  nation  to  be.''  " 

As  Hebrew  history  formed  no  part  of  the  study  of 
Roman  youth,  Crispus  was  fain  to  confess  his  igno- 
rance. 


The  Bream  of  Crispus  51 

"Well,  how  old  is  Rome?" 

"  More  than  eight  hundred  years,"  he  answered  with 
conscious  pride. 

"  Which  proves  your  nation,  when  compared  with 
ours,  to  be  but  of  yesterday.  We  Jews  were  a  people 
a  thousand  years  before  Romulus  drew  his  plow  along 
the  Palatine." 

Crispus,  jealous  for  the  antiquity  of  liis  nation,  was 
disposed  to  question  Vashti's  statement. 

"  Why,  you  are  as  skeptical  as  Apion.  You  have 
heard  of  Apion  ?  " 

"  No,"  laughed  Crispus.     "  Who  was  he.^  " 

"  A  grammarian  of  Alexandria,  and  the  author  of 
u  work  intended  to  show  that  we  Jews  are  quite  a 
recent  nation  in  the  history  of  the  world,  a  libel 
that  has  so  wrought  upon  the  spirit  of  Josephus  that 
he  is  writing  a  reply,  whose  title  is  to  be  '  Contra 
Apion.^  " 

"And  you  are  aiding  him  in  the  work?  Come,  deny 
it  not !  " 

Vashti  smiled  assent. 

"  I  act  as  his  amanuensis,"  added  she. 

A  Hebrew  maiden  of  seventeen  versed  in  Grecian 
literature  was  a  novelty  to  Crispus.  Curious  to  know 
whether  her  learning  was  anything  more  than  super- 
ficial, he  ventured,  with  her  own  consent,  to  subject  her 
to  a  catechism  derived  from  the  reminiscences  of  a 
two-years'  curriculum  in  the  schools  of  Athens,  but 
soon  relinquished  the  task  on  finding  her  knowledge 
far  more  extensive  than  his  own. 

"  You  have  been  questioning  me,"  said  she  with  a 
smile,  sweet  yet  grave,  when  he  had  finished.  "  Now 
may  I  claim  a  like  privilege?  " 

"  In  order  to  demonstrate  my  ignorance,"  laughed 
Crispus.  "  Well,  I'll  put  myself  under  examination. 
Be  not  too  hard  with  me." 

Thus  adjured,  Vashti  began. 

"  Why  does  your  Greek  poet  Bianor,  in  commenting 


52  The  Doomed  City 

upon  the  fable  of  Arion,  who  was  cast  into  the  sea 
by  the  sailors  but  saved  by  the  dolphins,  say  it  is 
meant  to  teach  us  that  '  By  man  comes  death,  hut  hy 
the  Fish  salvation  '?  "  ^ 

This,  Crispus  thought,  was  a  very  odd  question.  He 
had  merely  heard  of  Bianor  as  a  poet  living  in  the  days 
of  Tiberius ;  and  that  was  the  extent  of  his  knowledge 
concerning  him.  As  to  the  passage  quoted  by  Vashti, 
it  had  no  meaning  for  him.  The  words,  however  true 
of  the  fabled  Arion,  were  scarcely  applicable  to  man- 
kind at  large. 

Over  Vashti's  face  there  passed  a  shade  as  of  sad- 
ness, momentary  only,  but  it  did  not  escape  Crispus' 
quick  eye. 

"  I  thought  perhaps  you  might  have  comprehended," 
said  she.  "  Your  story  told  to-night  at  the  banquet, 
the  story  of  '  Great  Pan,'  led  me  to  hope  that — that — 
no  matter !  I  see  now  that  I  was  wrong,"  she  added 
with  a  sigh. 

Saddened  because  she  found  him  unable  to  explain 
an  obscure  line  of  a  Greek  poet!  Why,  what  an  odd 
maiden  was  this !  And  the  curious  part  of  it  all  was, 
she  refused  to  enlighten  him ;  and  hence  he  could  not 
but  conclude  that  Vashti  had  some  secret  to  which  the 
poet's  words  were  the  key. 

The  conversation  flowed  on,  and  soon  touched  upon 
Jewish  antiquity  again.  There  were  Jews,  so  Vashti 
averred,  Josephus  for  example,  who  could  carry  back 
an  authentic  ancestry  over  a  space  of  two  thousand 
years.  Crispus  was  wont  to  pride  himself  upon  his 
ancient  family,  but  what  was  its  antiquity  compared 
with  such  as  these.'' 

"  And  can  you  show  so  long  a  genealogy  ?  " 

"  My  father  Hyrcanus  could." 

Crispus  thought  this  a  somewhat  odd  reply. 

"  But  if  he  could,  so  can  you,  seeing  that  you  are  liis 
daughter." 

"  Only  those  genealogies  are  deemed  authentic  that 


The  Dream  of  Crispus  53 

are  inscribed  on  the  public  rolls.  My  name  is  missing 
from  them." 

"How  is  that.?" 

"  Nay,  I  cannot  tell,  but  such  is  the  case.  I  dis- 
covered it  but  a  few  days  ago.  I  was  in  the  Archeion 
— the  House  of  the  Rolls,  we  call  it — with  its  keeper 
Johanan  ben  Zacchai,  who  has  always  regarded  me  with 
fatherly  affection.  Moved  by  curiosity,  I  asked  to  be 
allowed  to  see  my  own  name  in  the  public  genealogical 
records.  '  Well,  to  please  you,  my  daughter,'  said  he. 
So  he  brought  out  the  rolls  of  papyrus  and  parchment ; 
and  after  a  long  time,  and  much  searching,  he  found 
the  names  of  my  father  Hyrcanus,  and  my  mother 
Miriam,  but  mt/  name  he  could  not  find,  though  my 
little  brother  Arad's  is  recorded.     So  you  see " 

The  sound  of  approaching  footsteps  checked  her 
utterance.  On  turning,  Crispus  and  Vashti  saw  at  a 
little  distance  a  stately  and  beautiful  figure  that  for 
a  moment  stopped  short,  apparently  in  surprise,  at  see- 
ing the  pair  in  such  friendly  converse.  It  was  the 
Princess  Berenice.  Some  instinct  told  Crispus  that 
she  was  looking  for  him,  and  he  beheld  her  with  a  sort 
of  self-reproach.  In  spite  of  her  half-jesting  reminder 
that  he  should  not,  as  at  Antioch,  neglect  her,  he  had 
repeated  his  indifference ;  his  only  dealing  with  her  had 
been  to  depose  her  from  the  proud  position  of  being 
the  first  beauty  of  the  land.  What  wonder,  then,  if 
she  should  feel  somewhat  hurt.'' 

"  I  will  leave  you  now,"  murmured  Vashti,  making 
as  if  to  rise. 

"  Nay,  do  not  go,"  said  Crispus,  venturing,  all 
unconsciously,  to  lay  a  detaining  hand  upon  her 
wrist. 

Crispus  wondered  at  her  heightened  color,  and  at  the 
new  light  that  came  into  her  eyes.  Was  she  pleased 
to  think  that  he  would  not  dismiss  her,  even  in  favor  of 
a  princess? 

He  withdrew  his  hand,  but  not  before  Berenice  had 


54  The  Doomed  City 

noticed  the  action.  Observant  woman  is  doubly  observ- 
ant at  such  times. 

"  Will  the  Queen  of  Beaut}'^,"  said  the  princess  with 
a  slightly  disdainful  air,  "  permit  me  to  share  the  con- 
versation of  the  noble  Crispus?  "  And,  without  waiting 
for  a  reply,  she  seated  herself,  as  she  spoke,  at  the  left 
side  of  Crispus,  Vashti  being  at  his  right. 

"  What  is  passing  in  the  palace?  "  asked  Crispus. 

"  The  wit  of  Florus,*'  replied  Berenice.  "  The  wine 
hath  got  into  his  head.  Like  Nero,  he  thinks  he  can 
sing.  But  I  was  very  good,  and  kept  a  grave  face 
the  while ;  nay,  I  even  asked  him  to  sing  again,  which 
pleased  him  hugely.  I  cannot  say  the  same  of  his 
hearers.'* 

She  laughed  so  pleasantly  that  Crispus  was  fain  to 
laugh  too. 

And  now  there  began  on  the  part  of  Berenice  a  flow 
of  talk  that,  sometimes  witty,  sometimes  wise,  was  al- 
ways interesting.  She  touched  on  topics  grave  and 
gay,  from  the  government  of  the  empire  to  the  latest 
fashion  in  sandals,  never  failing  to  illumine  the  subject 
in  hand  with  some  subtle  observation.  She  had  the 
field  all  to  herself,  for  Vashti  was  content  to  be  a 
listener,  while  Crispus  put  in  a  remark  now  and  again. 
It  seemed  almost  as  if  Berenice,  surmising  that  Crispus 
had  found  a  fascination  in  Vashti's  conversation,  had 
determined  to  display  her  own  brilliancy.  And  cer- 
tainly the  character  of  both  was  a  revelation  to  Crispus, 
who,  accustomed  hitherto,  in  the  haughty  and  exclusive 
spirit  of  his  race,  to  regard  the  Jews  as  an  inferior 
nation,  was  agreeably  surprised  to  find  among  these 
"  barbarians  "  two  women  who,  while  equal  in  beauty 
to  any  Greek  or  Roman  lady  known  to  him,  were  cer- 
tainly superior  in  intellect  and  charm. 

"  'Tis  the  first  day  of  the  new  moon,"  observed  Bere- 
nice, suddenly. 

"  I  see  her  not,"  returned  Crispus,  glancing  over  the 
face  of  the  sky,  and  thereby  missing  Berenice's  little 


The  Dream  of  Crispus  55 

frown.     A  foe  to  paganism,  she  did  not  like  to  hear 
personahty  ascribed  to  the  moon. 

"  Its  slender  crescent  is  visible  at  Jerusalem,  if  not 
from  here,"  said  Berenice.     "  That  tells  me  so." 

She  pointed  to  a  far-off  peak  upon  the  southern 
horizon,  a  peak  upon  which  there  had  appeared  a  light 
no  larger  than  a  star.  The  sparkle  was  repeated  at 
a  point  northward  of  the  first;  a  third  followed;  and 
soon  a  whole  line  of  fires  was  twinkling  upon  the  hill- 
summits  of  Judaea. 

"  Our  way  of  announcing  the  first  day  of  the  month," 
explained  Berenice.  "  So  soon  as  the  new  moon  is  seen 
from  a  certain  hill  near  Jerusalem  by  watchers  ap- 
pointed of  the  Sanhedrim  for  that  purpose,  the  tidings 
is  flashed  by  fire-signals  throughout  all  the  land.  'Tis 
an  old  custom  lately  revived  by  the  high  priest  Mat- 
thias. But  I  will  not  weary  you  with  matters  in  which 
a  Roman  can  take  no  interest." 

"  There  you  err,  princess.  My  visit  to  Jerusalem — 
for  thither  am  I  bound — is  undertaken  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  seeing  your  temple." 

"  You  wish  to  see  our  temple.?  "  exclaimed  the  prin- 
cess in  great  surprise,  "  you,  who  at  the  banquet  avowed 
yourself  a  worshiper  of  the  gods  of  Rome !  What  in- 
terest can  our  temple  have  for  you?  " 

"  My  interest  is  the  outcome  of  a — a " ;  he  hesi- 
tated for  a  moment,  and  then  added,  "  a  dream." 

A  statement  so  singular  naturally  evoked  Berenice's 
curiosity,  and  she  begged  him  to  tell  the  dream.  Vashti, 
though  she  said  nothing,  was,  as  Crispus  could  see 
by  her  looks,  equally  curious  to  hear  it. 

"  I  wish  now  that  I  could  recall  my  words," 
said  he,  "  for  though  it  was  but  a  dream,  the  telling 
of  it  may  cause  me  to  fall  into  disfavor  with  vou 
both." 

That  "  both "  was  a  distasteful  word  to  Berenice, 
seeming,  as  it  did,  to  imply  that  he  thought  as  much 
of  Vashti's  opinion  as  of  her  own.     Evidently  he  did, 


56  The  Doomed  City 

for  it  was  not  till  Vashti  had  added  a  persuasive  word 
that  he  would  begin  his  story. 

"  A  few  nights  ago,"  said  he,  plunging  at  once  in 
medias  res,  "  I  seemed  in  my  sleep  to  be  standing  in 
what  appeared  to  be  the  court  of  some  magnificent 
temple.  This  court,  colonnaded  on  its  four  sides,  was 
a  spacious  one  and  open  to  the  sky.  It  was  night,  and 
the  stars  faintly  twinkled.  Before  me  at  some  distance 
rose  the  temple  itself,  an  edifice  constructed  of  pure 
white  marble. 

"  The  place  was  not  quiet — far  from  it.  Singular  to 
relate,  although  no  one  was  visible,  the  court  seemed  to 
be  thronged  with  men.  There  was  a  running  to  and 
fro  over  the  pavement,  the  clash  and  clang  of  arms, 
and  the  sound  of  warriors  engaged  in  deadly  fray.  I 
laid  hand  to  my  sword,  desiring  to  range  myself  on 
the  one  side  or  the  other,  but  how  could  one  take  part 
in  a  combat  like  this — a  combat  of  ghosts? 

"  Suddenly  I  became  conscious  of  a  glow ;  in  front 
of  me,  upon  a  low  balustrade,  lay  a  flaming  torch.  As 
I  looked  at  it  a  voice,  seeming  to  come  from  the  sky, 
cried  in  the  Hebrew  tongue,  '  Burn!  '  and  the  flambeau 
shook  itself  as  if  impatient  to  be  grasped.  I  hesitated. 
Again  the  voice  cried,  '  Burn! '  in  a  tone  so  awe-inspir- 
ing that  I  durst  not  disobey.  I  lifted  the  burning 
brand,  and  tossed  it  through  a  golden  window  of  the 
temple.  A  shower  of  sparks  rose  from  within ;  next 
came  a  tongue  of  fire,  leaping  forth  from  the 
window;  a  little  while  and  the  whole  structure  was 
mantled  with  flame  and  smoke.  At  the  same  instant 
I  awoke." 

Berenice's  dusky  eyes,  eloquent  with  a  nameless  fear, 
were  set  full  upon  the  speaker's  face. 

"  Can  you  describe  the  temple  seen  by  you  in  the 
vision?  " 

"  I  can  shut  my  eyes  now,"  said  Crispus,  suiting  the 
action  to  the  word,  "  and  recall  every  feature.  I  am 
standing  on  the  north  side  of  the  temple;  it  extends 


The  Dream  of  Crispus  57 

east  and  west  for  a  length  of  perhaps  two  hundred 
and  fifty  cubits.  To  enter  it  one  must  first  pass  a  low 
balustrade  of  marble,  curiously  wrought,  upon  which 
stand  little  pillars  engraved  with  a  notice  in  Greek  and 
Latin  letters.  I  have  a  distinct  remembrance  in  my 
dream  of  reading  the  notice.  It  forbade  the  Gentiles 
on  pain  of  death  from  entering  the  shrine." 

Both  Vashti  and  Berenice  gave  a  faint  cry  of  sur- 
prise. 

"  Did  you  speak,  princess  ?  " 

"  No,  no !  Go  on.  What  next  ?  "  she  asked  breath- 
lessly. 

"  After  passing  the  balustrade  one  has  the  choice 
of  four  gates,  each  ascended  by  a  stately  flight  of 
stairs  fifteen  in  number.  Of  these  gates,  three,  situated 
near  the  western  end,  are  near  each  other ;  the  fourth 
stands  far  remote  towards  the  eastern  end.  Each  gate 
consists  of  two  folding  doors,  crusted  with  gold  and 
silver,  and  is  flanked  by  massive  towers."  He  paused 
for  a  moment,  and  resumed :  "  I  related  this  vision  to 
my  father,  who  was  as  much  startled,  princess,  as  you 
appear  to  be.  *  What  you  have  seen,'  said  he,  '  is  the 
temple  at  Jersusalem.'  Can  you  wonder,  then,  that 
I  desire  to  take  a  view  of  it.^*  " 

"  And  did  you  know  nothing  of  the  interior  of  our 
temple  till  the  time  of  this  dream?"  asked  Berenice. 

"  Absolutely  nothing,  I  pledge  you  my  solemn  word. 
I  was,  of  course,  aware  that  Jerusalem  contained  a 
notable  temple  resorted  to  by  devout  Jews  out  of  every 
nation  under  heaven,  but  that  was  the  total  extent  of 
my  knowledge.  Not  a  single  detail  of  its  architecture 
was  known  to  me." 

Berenice  seemed  perplexed,  even  troubled. 

"  Strange!  whence  comes  this  dream  of  yours.?  "  she 
murmured. 

"You  do  not  doubt  the  vision.'^" 

"  How  can  I,  since  you  affirm  it  to  be  true.''  " 

*'  You  admit  that  my  description  is  correct  ?  " 


58  The  Doomed  City 

"  It  cannot  be  gainsaid." 

"  Well,  then,  since  it  is  beyond  the  power  of  the 
human  mind,  whether  sleeping  or  awake,  to  gain  such 
knowledge  as  I  gained  at  that  time,  shall  I  offend  you 
by  saying  that  the  vision  was  directly  vouchsafed  to 
me  by  the  immortal  gods  ?  " 

"  The  gods  ?  "  returned  the  princess  with  a  touch  of 
disdain  in  her  voice.  "  The  gods?  The  gods  of  you 
Gentiles  have  no  existence.  There  is  but  one  true  and 
living  God." 

"  Have  it  so,"  replied  Crispus,  who  seemingly  could 
tolerate  reflections  upon  his  religion  much  more  easily 
than  Berenice  could  upon  hers.  "  Shall  we  say,  then, 
that  the  vision  was  sent  by  your  own  deity  ?  " 

"Impossible!  Would  He  Who  has  enjoined  upon  us 
the  perpetual  worship  of  Himself  give  command  to 
destroy  the  one  and  only  temple  in  which  that  worship 
is  carried  on?  " 

"  He  might,"  observed  Vashti,  "  if  He  purposed  to 
make  His  religion  more  spiritual.  Pure  religion  re- 
quires neither  temple  nor  altar." 

"  There  speaks  one  who  is  no  true  daughter  of  Abra- 
ham," retorted  Berenice. 

"  Nay,  princess,  it  is  because  I  am  a  daughter  of 
Abraham  that  I  say  it,  for  what  temple  did  Abraham 
have?  " 

Berenice,  about  to  make  an  angry  retort,  was 
checked  by  Crispus. 

"  We  are  drifting  from  the  primary  question,"  said 
he,  "which  is,  whence  came  my  dream?  That  dream 
was  plainly  a  supernatural  one." 

"Whence?"  returned  Berenice.  "Whence  but  from 
the  kingdom  of  evil?  There  are  wicked  spirits  as  well 
as  good,  and  the  prince  of  them  is  named  Satan,  who 
would  rejoice  if  he  could  but  persuade  a  Roman  to 
destroy  the  temple.  I  pray  you,  noble  Crispus,"  she 
continued,  with  considerable  emotion,  "  dismiss  this 
dream  from  your  mind,  lest  by  dwelling  overmuch  upon 


The  Dream  of  Crispus  59 

it  you  should  come  to  believe  that  you  have  a  Divine 
mission  to  destroy  the  temple." 

"  It  may  be  that  I  have." 

Crispus  spoke  with  the  grave  air  of  one  who  believes 
in  the  truth  of  his  words.  For  a  moment  the  princess 
gazed  at  him,  speechless  with  consternation.  Recover- 
ing her  voice,  she  cried  indignantly : 

"  What  good  could  come  from  such  a  deed?  " 

"  Much— to  Rome  !  " 

"How?" 

"  That  temple,"  said  Crispus,  speaking  in  a  cold, 
deadly  tone  that  set  Berenice  shivering  with  terror,  for 
she  loved  her  temple  more  than  her  life,  "  that  temple 
draws  annually  to  its  courts  three  million  Jews,  all 
animated  by  a  fierce  hatred  of  Rome,  and  all  fanatically 
persuaded  that  One  born  in  Judjea  shall  obtain  the  do- 
minion of  the  world.  You  know  it  is  so,  princess ;  you 
cannot  deny  it.  Your  temple  is  a  perpetual  menace 
to  the  safety  of  the  empire.  Destroy  the  temple,  and 
we  put  an  end  to  these  annual  gatherings  with  their 
vain  and  treasonable  hopes." 


CHAPTER  V 

SIMON    THE    ZEALOT 

Early  on  the  morning  after  the  banquet  there  flew 
through  Cassarea  the  surprising  news  that  the  notable 
Zealot,  Simon  the  Black,  was  to  be  put  on  his  trial  on 
the  noon  of  that  same  day. 

Eager  to  witness  the  scene,  a  motley  crowd,  composed 
of  Jews  and  Greeks,  Romans  and  Syrians,  flocked,  long 
before  the  appointed  time,  into  the  basilica,  or  court 
of  justice,  till  the  numbers  were  such  that  the  building 
would  hold  no  more. 

A  Roman  basilica  presented  an  appearance  very  simi- 
lar to  that  of  a  modern  parish  church,  consisting  as 
it  did  of  a  nave,  and  two  aisles  divided  from  it  by  a 
row  of  columns.  At  one  end  a  portion,  elevated  like 
a  dais  and  railed  off^  like  a  chancel,  formed  the  bema 
(the  word  had  passed  from  the  Greek  into '''  i- -Syro- 
Chaldaic)  or  tribunal,  where  the  judges  sat  a«^^^^'orators 
pleaded.  The  whole  of  the  interior  was  fuH'her  sur- 
rounded by  an  upper  gallery  raised  upon  the  columns 
that  divided  the  aisles.  The  ground  floor  and  the 
galleries  were  for  the  accommodation  of  the  public. 

In  the  middle  of  the  bema,  which  was  paved  with 
tesselated  marble,  stood  the  governor's  curule  chair,  and 
on  each  side  of  it  were  rows  of  seats  intended  for  the 
assessors,  it  being  the  custom  for  a  provincial  governor 
to  be  assisted  in  his  judgments  by  a  sort  of  informal 
council  consisting  of  distinguished  citizens. 

Shortly  before  noon  there  was  a  movement  on  the 
bema,  caused  by  the  arrival  of  persons  interested  in  the 
trial.  Among  them  was  the  priest  Theomantes,  who, 
in  virtue  of  his  dignity  as  priest  of  Jupiter  Caesarius, 

60 


Simon  the  Zealot  61 

proceeded  to  ensconce  himself  in  the  seat  immediately 
upon  the  right  of  the  curule  chair,  an  act  that  caused 
murmurs  among  the  Jews  and  applause  among  the  Gen- 
tiles. 

Ananias  now  entered,  and  seeing  his  own  action  an- 
ticipated, scowled,  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and  then 
deliberately  sat  down  upon  the  lap  of  his  rival. 

"  'Tis  mine  to  sit  upon  the  right  of  Florus,"  he 
cried. 

Thereupon,  Theomantes,  exerting  all  his  strength, 
flung  him  off,  amid  mingled  laughter  and  hooting  from 
the  two  factions, 

"  Even  if  the  high  priest  of  the  Jews  had  the  right 
to  this  seat,  it  is  not  thine,  seeing  that  thou  art  not 
high  priest." 

Now,  it  is  not  at  all  improbable  that  in  their  struggle 
for  precedency  these  two  graybeards  might  have  come 
to  unseemly  blows  before  a  delighted  audience,  but  for 
the  intervention  of  Terentius  Rufus,  who,  with  a  body 
of  spearmen,  was  stationed  in  front  of  the  tribunal 
for  the  purpose  of  preserving  order  among  the  spec- 
tators. 

"  T  "  er  thought  my  services  would  be  required  upon 
Ihe  be.     ,"  said  he. 

And  i.iounting  the  tribunal,  he  threatened  unless  Ana- 
nias settled  down  quietly  in  some  other  seat  that  he 
would  remove  him,  as  having  wantonly  and  purposely 
created  a  disturbance  in  a  court  of  justice. 

"  Let  Ananias  possess  his  soul  in  patience,"  he  cried, 
"  till  it  shall  please  Florus  to  make  known  Caesar's 
decree  on  this  matter." 

The  humiliated  Ananias  made  as  if  he  would  retire 
altogether  from  the  court,  but  finally,  thinking  better 
of  it,  sat  down  upon  the  left-hand  seat,  just  as  Florus 
made  his  pompous  entry. 

Crispus  appeared  about  the  same  time,  and,  as  being 
a  distinguished  visitor,  was  assigned  a  place  among 
the  council. 


62  The  Boomed  City 

Florus,  having  seated  himself  in  his  curule  chair, 
demanded  to  know  what  business  was  set  down  for  the 
day,  and  as  it  appeared  that  there  were  many  cases 
requiring  his  judicial  decision,  he  announced  that  he 
would  begin  with  the  trial  of  Simon. 

A  thrill  of  excitement  ran  through  the  basilica  when 
the  order  was  given,  "  Go,  lictors,  bring  hither  Simon, 
surnamed  the  Black." 

Without  delay  the  prisoner  was  brought. 

Walking  between  two  guards,  his  hands  tied  behind 
his  back  with  a  cord  whose  end  was  held  by  a  third 
soldier,  came  the  terrible  Zealot,  who  had  hanged  so 
many  Romans  that  men  had  lost  all  count  of  the  num- 
ber. A  man,  tall  and  muscular,  and  having  a  singular 
breadth  of  chest,  with  black  hair,  black  eyes,  and  black 
beard.  Clothed  in  the  dress  he  wore  when  captured, 
a  gabardine  all  slashed  with  sword-cuts,  and  black  with 
dried  blood;  with  face  unwashed,  and  beard  and  hair 
long  and  unkempt,  he  made  a  wild  and  savage  figure. 
Captivity  and  darkness,  chilling  damps  and  meager 
diet,  had  failed,  however,  to  tame  his  spirit ;  he  stood, 
dark,  scowling,  defiant,  the  living  incarnation  of  enmity 
to  Rome. 

Florus,  after  a  brief  and  (as  it  seemed  to  Crispus) 
uneasy  glance  at  the  captive,  turned  to  a  table  where 
sat  the  advocates,  and  asked : 

"  Who  conducts  the  prosecution  ?  " 

Tertullus  arose. 

"  Be  brief.     No  oratory,"  said  the  procurator. 

In  a  Roman  trial  proceedings  usually  began  with 
the  questioning  of  the  accused  in  the  endeavor  to  prove 
out  of  his  own  mouth  the  charge  brought  against  him. 
Should  this  procedure  fail,  or  should  the  prisoner, 
through  obstinacy,  refuse  to  answer,  it  became  necessary 
to  call  upon  witnesses. 

Tertullus  turned  to  question  the  captive,  while  the 
clerk  of  the  court,  with  lifted  pen,  sat  ready  to  record 
the  dialogue;  for,  be  it  known,  there  were  in  that  age 


Sijiion  the  Zealot  63 

scribes  who,  by  a  system  of  abbreviations,  were  capable 
of  writing  as  fast  as  a  man  could  speak. 

"Your  name?"  began  Tertullus. 

"  You  ask  me  my  name?  "  said  the  Zealot  with  a 
laugh  of  scorn.  "  You  ought  to  know,  seeing  what  fear 
it  has  put  into  the  hearts  of  you  Romans.  I  am  Simon, 
son  of  Giora,  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin." 

"Your  birthplace?" 

"  Gerasa,  beyond  Jordan." 

"  Your  calling?  " 

"  Slayer  of  the  Romans." 

"  Consider !  You  desire  the  clerk  to  write  down  that 
answer  ? " 

"  Let  him  write  it  twice,  yea  thrice,  and  in  his 
largest  characters." 

"  You  confess,  then,  that  you  are  of  the  sect  known 
as  the  Zealots  ?  " 

"  A  curse  on  your  Gentile  terms ;  I  am  of  the  sect 
of  the  Kenaim." 

"  Zealots  or  Kenaim,  'tis  much  the  same.  What  are 
their  tenets?  " 

"  These :  call  no  one  king  but  God ;  pay  no  tax  save 
to  the  temple ;  slay  every  Roman  who  presumes  to 
exercise  authority  over  the  holy  seed." 

"'Call  no  one  king  but  God'?  Then  you  do  not 
acknowledge  the  authority  of  Cagsar?" 

"  Cjesar !  "  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  contempt 
with  which  he  spoke  the  name.  "  Cassar !  I  spit  at 
the  name  of  Caesar." 

And  he  did,  there  and  then,  upon  the  pavement.  This 
repudiation  of  imperial  authority  was  received  by  the 
servile  Graeco-Syrian  mob  with  a  roar  of  execration. 

"  LcEsa  majestas!  "  was  their  cry.  "  Fling  him  over 
the  rails !  " 

"  '  Assassinate  every  Roman  '  ?  "  continued  Tertullus. 
"Then  you  would  assassinate  Florus,  if  you  could?" 

The  very  suggestion  caused  the  face  of  the  Zealot  to 
mantle  with  ferocious  joy. 


64  The  Doomed  City 

"  Place  a  dagger  in  my  freed  hands,  set  me  within 
three  paces  of  him,  and  you  shall  see." 

"  The  court  will  take  the  will  for  the  deed,"  observed 
Tertullus  dryly.  "  Attend  to  the  indictment.  You  are 
charged  with  being  the  chief  of  a  band  of  Zealots,  or, 
if  it  please  you,  Kenaim.  Stationed  among  the  heights 
in  the  Pass  of  Adumraim,  it  was  your  wont  to  issue 
forth,  and  to  rob  and  to  hang  every  Roman  that  came 
that  way." 

"  A  marvel !     A  lawyer  speaks  the  truth !  " 

"  How   many   Romans   have  been   put   to   death   by 


you 


?  » 


"  Put  that  question  to  the  vultures.  I  kept  no  regis- 
ter of  the  slain.  Thus  much  I  know,  that,  give  me  my 
freedom,  and  you  shall  see  me  repeat  the  work  with  a 
new  band." 

"  Traitor  to  the  empire,  do  you  glory  in  your 
guilt?" 

"  The  guilt  is  yours  who  presume  to  exercise  au- 
thority in  a  land  that  God  sware  with  an  oath  should 
be  ours  forever.  Out  of  this  land,  then,  ye  Romans, 
with  your  legions  and  your  lictors,  your  taxes  and 
your  idols !  It  is  contrary  to  the  will  of  God  that 
Caesar  should  bear  rule  in  Judsea,  and  the  Jew  that 
acknowledges  him  breaks  the  law  of  Moses.  For  it 
is  written  therein,  '  One  from  among  thy  brethren  shalt 
thou  set  king  over  thee ;  thou  mayest  not  set  a  stranger 
over  thee  which  is  not  thy  brother  ' ;  whereof  let  due 
note  be  taken  by  that  smug  Ananias  there,  who  frater- 
nizes so  comfortably  with  his  country's  enemies !  " 

"  As  it  was  your  custom,"  continued  Tertullus,  "  to 
plunder,  as  well  as  to  kill,  you  doubtless  gained  con- 
siderable wealth  ?  " 

"Wealth?  Ay,  stores  of  it,"  said  Simon,  his  eyes 
sparkling  as  if  at  the  recollection. 

"  None  was  found  in  the  place  of  your  capture." 

Simon  laughed  exultingly. 

"  It  exists,  for  all  that,  in  a  place  where  no  Roman 


Simon  the  Zealot  65 

can  lay  hand  upon  it,  reserved  for  the  great  day  of 
vengeance." 

"  Or,  in  other  words,  it  is  to  be  used  in  fomenting  war 
against  Rome?  " 

"  Lawyer,  thou  hast  said." 

"  It  is  rumored  that  several  persons  of  high  station 
have  been  in  communication  with  you.''  " 

"  The  highest  in  the  land.  I  can  see  now  upon  the 
bema  here  some  of  my  past  accomplices.  Why  are  they 
not  placed  beside  me  to  be  judged.^^  " 

The  uneasiness  that  had  never  been  absent  from  the 
face  of  Florus  seemed  now  to  increase.  It  was  noticed 
by  Tertullus,  who  smiled  to  himself  with  the  quiet  satis- 
faction of  an  archer  who,  after  many  trials,  has  hit  the 
mark  at  last. 

The  crowd  of  spectators,  hitherto  restless  and  mur- 
muring, became  suddenly  hushed.  Florus'  long  delay 
in  bringing  Simon  to  trial  had  given  birth  to  sinister 
rumors  as  to  the  relations  previously  existing  between 
the  procurator  and  the  robber-chief.  Was  the  dark 
story  about  to  be  confirmed.''  With  breathless  interest 
they  awaited  the  issue. 

"  The  court  will  be  pleased  at  having  these  accom- 
plices named,"  said  Tertullus  with  affected  carelessness. 

"  I  name  them  not,  unless  I  have  a  promise  that  they 
shall  be  arrested  without  delay." 

"  The  court  will  have  no  hesitation  in  arresting  them, 
provided  that  you  can  prove  your  charge." 

"  Good !  If  it  be  a  crime  to  plot  against  the  life 
of  a  Roman,  bid  the  lictors  go  and  bind  the  hands  of 
Ananias." 

Tertullus'  face  fell  somewhat.  Ananias  was  not  the 
name  he  wanted. 

"  Lying  Zealot !  "  exclaimed  the  priest ;  and,  forget- 
ting for  the  moment  that  it  was  not  a  Jewish  court 
in  which  he  could  do  according  to  his  own  pleasure, 
he  cried,  "  Strike  him  on  the  mouth !  " 

"  0  Ananias !   Ananias !  "   said   Simon,    shaking   his 


66  The  Doomed  City 

head  with  mock  gravity,  "  were  you  not  once  an  accom- 
pHce  with  me  in  a  plot  to  slay  a  Roman  citizen?  'Tis 
clear  you  have  forgotten  my  face :  let  me  recall  it  to 
you.  Did  there  not  once  come  to  you — 'tis  eight  years 
ago  now — forty  Sicarii,"  of  whom  I  was  one,  offering 
to  slay  Paul  of  Tarsus,  a  Roman  citizen,  mark  j'ou ! 
and  freeborn?  Did  you  not  readily  join  in  the  plot? 
And  now  do  you  disavow  your  old  friend  Simon?  Nay, 
verily,  be  honest,  and  take  your  trial  with  me." 

Over  the  face  of  Ananias  there  had  suddenly  crept 
a  look  scarcely  compatible  with  the  idea  of  innocence. 

"  Will  no  one  stop  the  mouth  of  the  lying  knave  ?  " 
he  cried,  trembling  with  passion. 

"  Your  looks  sufficiently  show  who  is  the  lying  knave," 
answered  Simon  coolly.  "  If  ye  desire  proof  of  this, 
my  accusation,"  he  continued,  addressing  the  court, 
"  send  to  Jerusalem  for  Paul's  nephew ;  he  will  confirm 
what  I  say.  Does  the  court  agree  that  Ananias  shall 
take  his  trial  with  me?  "  added  Simon,  looking  around 
him  with  a  sardonic  smile.  "  No  ?  And  yet  'tis  the 
fashion  of  Romans  to  boast  of  their  justice! — justice, 
forsooth !  " 

"  Prisoner,"  said  Florus,  "  be  not  so  free  of  tongue, 
and  you  may  find  that  our  Roman  justice,  whose  purity 
you  seem  to  question,  can  be  tempered  with  mercy." 

"  Now,  let  the  court  carefully  mark  that  little 
speech,"  said  Simon  coolly,  "  for,  being  interpreted,  it 
meaneth,  '  Keep  quiet  as  to  my  doings,  O  Simon,  and 
I  will  endeavor  to  procure  your  release.'  But  in  vain 
do  you  offer  me  the  bribe  of  life,  O  Florus,  in  order 
to  stay  my  tongue.  Welcome  torture,  scourgings, 
death,  if  I  do  but  succeed  in  hurling  you  from  power." 

Simon  was  not  to  be  appeased,  and  Florus,  catching 
sight  of  Tertullus'  smile,  suddenly  realized  the  lawyer's 
motive  in  pressing  for  the  public  trial  of  the  Zealot.  It 
was  to  ruin  him — Florus ! 

It  was  out  of  the  question  either  to  gag  the  prisoner 
or  to  declare  the  court  closed ;  either  alternative  would 


Simon  the  Zealot  67 

expose  him  to  suspicion.  He,  the  judge,  must  sit  and 
listen  to  an  accusation,  which,  even  if  it  were  untrue, 
would  be  greedily  believed  by  nine  out  of  every  ten, 
so  unpopular  was  he  with  the  people  over  whom  he 
ruled.  And  when  the  story  should  reach  Rome,  as 
it  undoubtedly  would — his  enemies  would  take  good 
care  of  that! — it  might  mean  the  loss,  not  only  of  his 
procuratorship,  as  Simon  had  said,  but  even  of  his  life. 

"  The  brazen  effrontery  of  this  knave !  "  said  he,  as- 
suming a  stem  bearing.  "  Knowing  that  his  doom  is 
certain,  he  seeks  to  delay  sentence  by  vilifying  the 
character  of  his  judges.  Go,  lictors,  bring  hither  the 
flagellum." 

"  And,  when  brought,  apply  it  to  the  shoulders  of 
the  robber  Florus,"  said  Simon. 

"  Ye  see  for  yourselves,"  said  Florus,  turning  to  the 
assessors,  "  what  an  incorrigible  villain  this  is !  " 

"  Listen  to  a  story  that  is  no  fiction,"  continued 
Simon.  "  Florus  sent  a  secret  messenger  offering  me 
free  liciense  to  plunder  and  slay  Roman  and  Gentile 
alike,  on  condition  of  his  receiving  half  the  spoil." 

"  A  lie  as  black  as  Erebus ! "  thundered  the  pro- 
curator. 

"  It  is  one  thing  to  accuse,  another  thing  to  prove," 
remarked  Tertullus  quietly,  secretly  delighted  at  the 
turn  events  were  taking. 

"  I  have  no  proof  in  writing.  Florus  is  too  artful 
a  fox  to  employ  ink  and  parchment  on  such  a  matter. 
His  intermediary  in  this  business  was  his  freedman, 
Nymphidius." 

"  Is  it  worth  while  sending  for  this  Nymphidius," 
asked  Tertullus  of  Florus,  "  that  he  may  deny  this 
allegation.''  " 

"  It  is  useless  sending  for  him,"  observed  Rufus, 
"  for  he  died  this  morning — suddenly." 

"Who  helped  him  to  die.?"  asked  Simon.  "For  it 
appears  to  me  that  his  death  has  occurred  at  a  time 
very  convenient  for  Florus." 


68  The  Doomed  City 

A  significant  question,  this !  Men  looked  at  each 
other,  little  doubting  that  Florus  had  by  foul  means 
removed  an  awkward  witness  from  his  path. 

"  Bear  with  me,  noble  Florus,"  said  Tertullus,  "  if  I 
assume  for  a  moment  the  truth  of  this  knave's  story. 
What  answer,"  he  continued,  addressing  Simon,  "what 
answer  did  you  give  to  Nymphidius .''  " 

"  This  was  my  answer :  '  Tell  the  uncircumcized  dog 
of  a  Florus  that  Simon  will  plunder  without  asking 
his  leave.  Let  him  send  to  Manahem,  the  son  of  Judas, 
who  will  doubtless  be  glad  to  purchase  license  on  such 
terms.'  " 

Tertullus  now  dropped  his  mask  and  became,  like 
Simon,  an  accuser  of  the  procurator. 

"  It  was  this  Manahem,  O  Florus,"  said  he  quietly, 
"  who  a  fortnight  ago  robbed  me  of  a  myrrhine 
drinking-cup,  which  last  night  appeared  upon  your 
table." 

Now,  during  all  this  time  Crispus  had  been  listening 
with  a  strange  conflict  of  emotions.  Hatred  of  Simon's 
crimes  was  mingled  with  admiration  for  his  daring 
spirit.  He  was  also  compelled  to  admit  that  the  exist- 
ence of  the  Zealots  was,  to  a  certain  extent,  justified 
by  Roman  misgovernment,  a  fact  very  unpalatable  for 
a  patriot  like  Crispus,  ever  striving  to  believe  that 
Rome  and  justice  were  convertible  terms.  From  the 
rule  of  wicked  and  rapacious  governors  like  Pilate  and 
Felix,  Albinus  and  Florus,  what  other  spirit  could  de- 
velop in  Judsea  but  a  burning  hatred  of  Roman  rule, 
combined  with  a  determination  to  throw  off  the  yoke 
whenever  a  favorable  occasion  should  arise.'' 

Though  Simon  was  doubtless  deserving  of  death,  yet 
nevertheless  Crispus'  sense  of  justice  revolted  against 
his  condemnation  by  judges  like  Florus  and  Ananias, 
themselves  guilty  of  malefactions.  He  resolved  to  dis- 
associate himself  from  the  council. 

"  Since  the  prisoner,"  said  he,  "  questions  the  in- 
tegrity of  two  of  his  judges,  and,  as  it  seems  to  me, 


Simon  the  Zealot  69 

with  some  show  of  reason,  I  herewith  dechne  to  take 
any  further  part  in  this  trial." 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  Crispus  rose  from 
his  seat  and  withdrew  from  the  bema. 

"  And  I  do  the  Hke,"  said  Theomantes,  moved  in  his 
action  mainly  by  his  feud  with  Ananias. 

"  And  I !  " — "  And  I !  "  exclaimed  several  other  mem- 
bers, rising  and  descending  from  the  tribunal. 

Florus  sat,  full  of  impotent  rage,  on  perceiving  that 
the  statements  of  Simon  and  Tertullus  were  believed  in, 
not  only  by  the  common  people,  but  also  by  the  majority 
of  the  council. 

"  The  trial  is  adjourned,"  he  cried.  "  Let  the  pris- 
oner be  carried  back  to  his  dungeon." 

The  command  came  too  Jate.  Simon  had  perceived 
among  the  Jewish  portion  of  the  spectators  certain  dis- 
guised Zealots,  who,  both  by  eye  and  by  gesture,  were 
secretly  inviting  him  to  make  a  dash  for  liberty. 

Acting  on  the  hint,  he  suddenly  wrenched  himself 
free  from  his  guards,  darted  to  the  edge  of  the  tribunal, 
and,  taking  a  flying  leap  over  the  line  of  soldiers  that 
guarded  its  front,  he  alighted  among  his  friends,  who, 
struggling  desperately,  began  to  push  him  towards  the 
open  doors  of  the  basilica. 

The  soldiers,  attempting  to  follow,  were  at  once  op- 
posed, not  only  by  the  whole  Jewish  body,  but  also 
by  the  Grteco-Syrians,  who  in  this  matter  were  actuated 
not  out  of  any  love  for  Simon,  but  from  a  desire  to 
thwart  and  disappoint  Florus,  whose  rule  was  hateful 
to  them.  The  court  of  justice  became  immediately 
transformed  into  a  wild  tumultuous  pandemonium. 

"  Down  with  the  wicked  Florus !  " 

"  Death  to  old  Ananias  !  " 

Stones  and  other  missiles,  discharged  by  men  of  both 
factions,  now  came  whirling  into  the  tribunal.  Ananias, 
gathering  his  robe  about  him,  fled  to  a  place  of  safety. 
Florus,  as  he  was  lifting  his  hand  in  the  futile  attempt 
to  quell  the  tumult,  received  a  sharp-edged  flint  upon 


70  The  Doomed  City 

his  temples.  Down  his  quickly-paling  face  flowed  a 
stream  of  blood,  a  sight  welcomed  by  both  factions  with 
a  huge  roar  of  delight. 

"  Guards,  hither  to  me ! "  cried  the  alarmed  pro- 
curator. 

Four  stout  soldiers  sprang  forward  and  screened  him 
with  their  bucklers,  that  rattled  again  and  again  to 
the  pelting  shower  of  stones  as  the  procurator,  follow- 
ing the  example  of  Ananias,  fled  amid  hootings,  curs- 
ings, and  derisive  laughter. 

At  the  command  of  Rufus  the  soldiers,  by  threaten- 
ing the  people  with  leveled  spears,  soon  cleared  the 
courthouse.  They  failed,  however,  to  recover  Simon, 
who,  dragged  off"  by  his  friends,  contrived  to  make 
good  his  escape. 

"  He'll  harass  us  again,"  grumbled  Rufus,  a  proph- 
ecy destined  to  meet  with  ample  verification. 


CHAPTER  VI 

"  DELEXDA   EST    HIEROSOLYMA  !  " 

"  Then  you  will  not  marry  me,  princess?  " 

Such  were  the  words  addressed  by  Florus  to  Berenice, 
as  he  walked  beside  her  in  the  sunlit  gardens  of  the 
Praetorium. 

The  ugly  gash  he  had  received  that  morning  from 
the  Avell-aimed  missile  had  not  enhanced  his  personal 
beauty.  Berenice,  as  she  watched  him  from  beneath 
the  fringe  of  her  dark,  silky  eyelashes,  shivered,  and 
thought  how  like  a  satyr  he  looked !  She  mentally  con- 
trasted the  bloated  coarseness  of  his  visage  with  Cris- 
pus'  clear  bronzed  healthful  complexion. 

"Marry  you!  "  she  said,  emphasizing  the  last  word. 
"  My  lord  Florus,  you  have  a  wife  already !  " 

"  So  had  my  predecessor  Felix,  but  that  did  not  pre- 
vent your  sister  Drusilla  from  marrying  him." 

"  Poor  deluded  Drusilla !  she  would  never  have  so 
acted  but  for  the  spells  and  sorceries  of  Simon  Magus." 

"  Would  that  I  knew  where  this  Simon  were  to  be 
found,"  sighed  the  governor,  "  for  then  would  I,  too, 
employ  him  in  the  like  office !  " 

"  You  have  the  great  Theomantes,"  laughed  Bere- 
nice. "  Cannot  he  weave  spells  for  you?  or  has  he 
alreadj^  done  so,  and  failed?  But,  my  lord  Florus,  have 
pity  on  your  wife.  Why  do  you  desire  wicked  Berenice 
in  place  of  the  good  Cleopatra?" 

"  Fairest  of  women,"  began  the  goveraor  gallantly. 

"  Nay,"  said  the  princess,  somewhat  darkly,  "  Cris- 
pus  hath  openly  deprived  me  of  that  title." 

"  A  fool,  who  hath  no  eyes  for  real  beauty." 

"  Is  it  Berenice  the  Fair  or  Berenice  the  Golden 
that  you  are  seeking  to  woo?  " 

71 


72  The  Boomed  City 

"  Mine,"  answered  Florus  with  a  fine  air  of  virtue, 
"  mine  is  not  a  mercenary  character." 

"  Except  where  the  spoil  of  Zealots  is  concerned," 
laughed  Berenice.  "  I  fear  greatly  that  this  morning's 
revelation  will  deprive  you  of  office." 

The  procurator,  too,  was  very  much  of  this  opinion, 
but  it  was  not  pleasant  to  hear  it  from  her.  Masking  his 
anger  beneath  a  hollow  smile,  he  said: 

"  To  gain  you,  princess,  I  would — yes !  I  would  will- 
ingly turn  proselyte,  and  that  is  more  than  Felix  did 
for  Drusilla." 

"  'Tis  a  tempting  offer,"  said  Berenice,  with  a  sweet 
mocking  laugh  that  charmed  while  it  maddened  the  pro- 
curator. "  How  the  Jews  would  joy  in  their  new 
convert !  Picture  me  leading  Florus  by  the  hand  to 
the  temple,  there  to  present  him  to  Matthias  as  a  pious 
neophyte !  "  Then,  becoming  grave  again,  she  went  on, 
"  My  father  Agrippa  was  king  of  Judsa,  and  it  has 
ever  been  my  aim  to  control  the  destinies  of  this  same 
land,  an  aim  foredoomed  to  failure  were  I  to  marry 
you."  * 

"Why  so.?" 

"  O  dullard !  You  have  ruled  because  your  wife  was 
the  friend  of  the  Empress  Poppjea."  ("  Was?  "  thought 
Florus,  wondering  why  she  should  use  the  past  tense ; 
he  was  soon  to  learn!)  "  Had  you  divorced  Cleopatra 
to  marry  me  you  would  have  set  the  empress  against 
you,  and  then  where  would  have  been  your  procurator- 
ship?" 

This  view  of  the  case  had  often  occurred  to  Florus 
himself.  Still,  what  was  the  loss  of  his  office  compared 
with  the  handling  of  Berenice's  gold.? 

"  And,"  continued  Berenice,  "  even  supposing  that 
the  empress,  overlooking  the  slight  to  her  friend  Cleo- 
patra, should  be  willing  to  maintain  you  in  office,  she 
can  no  longer  do  so,  seeing  that  she  is  dead." 

"  Poppasa  dead.?  "  gasped  Florus  incredulously. 

*'  So  saith  my  freedman  Sadas." 


"  Delenda  est  Hierosolyma! "  73 

"  Whence  did  he  learn  it  ?  " 

"  A  ship  from  Rome  has  just  arrived  in  harbor  with 
the  tidings.  Everybody  on  board  is  talking  about  it. 
Our  greatest  proselyte  is  dead,  killed  by  a  blow  from 
Nero's  foot,  and  she  with  child !  Kicked  to  death  by 
him  whom  you  would  have  had  us  worship  last  night  as 
a  god,"  she  added,  her  lip  wreathing  in  scorn. 

Florus  was  thunderstruck  at  the  tidings,  foreseeing 
a  quick  end  to  his  rule  now  that  there  was  no  Poppaea 
to  stand  between  him  and  the  punishment  justly  due 
for  his  misdeeds.  He  knew  full  well  that  as  soon  as 
the  Jews  received  the  news  they  would  send  to  Rome 
an  embassy  praying  for  his  removal.  They  Avould  cer- 
tainly mention  that  little  deal  with  the  Zealots,  not 
to  speak  of  various  other  little  peccadillos. 

"  And  in  ceasing  to  be  procurator,"  said  he,  wrath- 
fully,  "  I,  of  course,  cease  to  be  of  interest  to  you.''  " 

"  Unless  you  should  become  Caesar,  in  which  case  send 
for  me,  and  I  will  come  to  you — yea,  fly !  As  empress 
of  the  world  I  could  do  the  holy  nation  better  service 
than  as  queen  of  Judaea." 

Empress  of  the  world !  She  spoke  lightly,  little 
dreaming  how  narrowly  she  was  to  miss  gaining  the 
imperial  throne. 

"  You  think  only  of  your  people,  and  of  your  super- 
stition," muttered  Florus. 

"  Only  of  mj^  people,  and  of  my — superstition.  You 
have  hit  off  my  character." 

"  You  have  been  playing  witli  mo  for  your  own  ends," 
said  he,  his  great  coarse  cheek  reddening  with  anger. 
"  And  now  you  cast  me  off  as  one  casts  off  a  sandal 
that  has  outlived  its  use." 

"  O  Florus,  have  done !  "  she  said  with  a  wearied  air. 
"  We  have  both  been  acting.  Let  us  drop  the  mask. 
'Tis  not  Berenice  herself  that  is  the  charm,  but  her 
gold  with  which  you  hope  to  cancel  past  debts  and  to 
continue  your  infamous  orgies.  And  I,  divining  your 
motives,  have  likewise  played  the  hypocrite,  feigning  a 


7'4s  The  Doomed  City 

love  I  never  felt,  if  by  so  doing  I  might  benefit  Judasa. 
Strangely  have  you  mistaken  my  nature  in  thinking 
that,  apart  from  your  procuratorship,  you  could  ever 
have  held  any  interest  for  me.  My  lord  Florus,  I  bid 
you  farewell." 

And  with  that  she  left  him. 

The  face  of  Florus  was  as  the  face  of  a  demon  as 
he  watched  her  walking  scornfully  away  with  never  a 
backward  glance  of  pity  or  remorse.  Love  for  her  had 
now  altogether  vanished  from  his  heart ;  no  other  feel- 
ing there  but  a  big  black  hatred  that  transformed  him 
to  the  elemental  savage.  His  only  thought  now  was  to 
revenge  himself  upon  her.  But  how.''  Death.?  It  were 
a  somewhat  difficult  matter  to  compass  the  end  of  a 
Jewish  princess.  True,  he  might  hire  the  daggers  of 
the  Sicarri,  even  as  the  procurator  Felix  had  hired 
them  to  assassinate  the  high  priest  Jonathan — he  fell 
at  the  very  altar — but  suspicion  would  attach  itself 
to  him,  and  this  was  a  thing  to  be  avoided,  if  possible. 

Besides,  a  death  like  that  were  too  light  a  punish- 
ment ;  one  sharp  pang,  and  all  would  be  over.  His 
vengeance  must  take  a  more  subtle,  a  more  protracted 
form.  How  to  accomplish  it  was  the  question,  and  thus 
thinking,  he  walked  meditatively  back  to  the  Prastorium. 

On  entering,  he  learned  that  King  Polemo — Bere- 
nice's ex-husband — was  awaiting  an  interview  with  him 
in  the  Ivory  Hall,  a  saloon  so  called  from  its  paneling. 

Florus  received  the  news  with  something  like  a  frown. 

"What  wants  he  with  me?"  he  muttered,  darkly. 
"  'Tis  he  who  has  brought  me  to  this."  But  in  a 
moment  his  face  cleared  again.  "A  friend  of  Cassar! 
Ha !  he  may  be  of  help  to  me  in  this  crisis,"  and  he 
accordingly  directed  his  steps  to  the  Ivory  Hall. 

"  Bring  wine,"  commanded  he ;  and  this  being  done, 
Florus  was  left  alone  with  his  visitor. 

The  friendship — if,  indeed,  it  deserved  the  name — 
existing  between  the  two  men,  had  begun  a  year  pre- 
viously at  Rome  at  the  time  when  Florus  was  about 


"  Delenda  est  Hierosolyma! "  75 

to  proceed  to  Judsea  in  the  character  of  procurator. 
The  king's  sudden  attachment  was  a  fact  somewhat 
puzzling  to  Florus,  who,  however  highly  he  might  think 
of  himself,  was  nevertheless  secretly  conscious  that  his 
character  was  not  such  as  to  appeal  to  a  man  of  Po- 
lemo's  stamp.  However,  there  the  fact  was :  Polemo  was 
evidently  anxious  to  ingratiate  himself  into  Florus' 
good  will,  for,  finding  that  the  Roman  was  ill-provided 
with  money,  he  supplied  him  with  a  sum  sufficient  to 
enable  the  new  procurator  to  make  a  splendid  entry 
into  Caesarea.  Since  that  time  Florus  had  received  ad- 
ditional sums  from  the  king.  Never  was  there  a  more 
willing  and  a  more  charming  lender  than  Polemo.  Con- 
tent with  receiving  written  acknowledgments  of  the 
amount,  he  did  not  press  for  repayment.  Let  not 
Florus  disturb  himself;  he  could  pay  at  his  leisure. 
Delighted  at  this  easy  way  of  obtaining  money,  Florus 
had,  in  the  course  of  one  short  year,  recklessly  bor- 
rowed again  and  again,  till  in  his  more  sober  moments 
he  trembled  to  think  how  great  was  his  debt.  If  sud- 
denly called  upon  to  refund  the  whole  at  once,  he  would 
be  a  iniined  man. 

Of  late  Florus  had  grown  very  uneasy ;  the  suspicion, 
nay,  the  certainty  seized  him  that  the  king  was  trying 
to  establish  a  sinister  hold  over  him.  There  was  in 
Polemo's  grave  air  and  peculiar  smile  something  that 
seemed  to  say,  "  What  I  bid  you  do,  you  will  do !  " 
And  Florus,  feeling  himself  chained  hand  and  foot, 
durst  not  resent  the  other's  quiet  air  of  mastership, 
for  these  were  the  days,  be  it  observed,  when  the  Roman 
law  ordained  that,  whatever  his  rank  (unless  he  be- 
longed to  the  imperial  family,  who,  of  course,  were 
above  all  law)  the  debtor  unable  to  meet  his  liabilities 
must  become  the  bond-slave  of  his  creditor. 

That  Polemo  had  some  end  in  view  was  certain,  but 
what  it  could  be,  Florus  had,  so  far,  not  the  least 
inkling. 

One  fact,  however,  became  increasingly  clear.     Po- 


76  The  Boomed  City 

lemo,  who  in  days  gone  by  had  submitted  to  the  rite 
of  circumcision  in  order  to  gain  the  hand  of  Berenice, 
had  now  no  love  either  for  Judaism  or  the  Jews^  and 
spoke  of  the  latter  in  terms  of  scorn  and  hatred. 

Florus,  disposed  by  nature  to  be  harsh  in  dealing 
with  the  people  under  his  rule,  seemed  to  receive  a 
tacit  if  not  direct  encouragement  from  Polemo ;  at  any 
rate,  he  never  left  the  king's  presence  without  a  deter- 
mination to  adopt  new  methods  of  repression,  even 
though  by  so  doing  he  should  run  the  risk  of  losing 
the  favor  of  Berenice.  It  seemed  almost  as  if  Polemo 
had  set  himself  to  counteract  her  influence ;  and  in  truth 
Florus,  swayed  first  by  one  and  then  by  the  other,  had 
vacillated  strangely  between  right-doing  and  wrong- 
doing. His  own  natural  disposition,  however,  inclined 
him  to  follow  the  sinister  suggestions  of  Polemo,  to 
such  an  extent  as  to  make  his  procuratorship  more  in- 
famous in  character  than  any  that  had  preceded  it. 

Florus  had  often  wondered  what  was  the  attitude  of 
Polemo's  mind  towards  Berenice,  but  on  this  point  he 
could  never  quite  satisfy  himself.  When  he  had  ven- 
tured, not  without  some  diffidence,  to  intimate  his  in- 
tention of  wooing  the  king's  one-time  wife,  Polemo 
smiled,  bidding  him  succeed — if  he  could !  And  after 
that,  whenever  the  two  met,  Polemo  never  failed  to  in- 
quire, not  without  a  suggestion  of  sarcasm,  how  the 
other's  suit  was  progressing. 

He  did  the  like  on  the  present  occasion. 

"  May  her  own  Jewish  devil,  whom  they  call  Satan, 
carry  her  off"  to  Tartarus,"  was  Florus'  elegant  re- 
joinder. 

"Ah!  stands  the  case  so.?  I  thought  'twould  have 
that  ending.  'Twere  unwomanly  of  her  to  accept  the 
love  of  a  man  already  wedded,  especially  as  she  her- 
self  " 

Florus  wondered  what  was  coming  next,  but  Po- 
lemo had  checked  himself  as  if  about  to  say  too 
much. 


"  Delenda  est  Hierosolyma! "  77 

"  I  came  not,  however,  to  talk  of  Berenice,"  he  con- 
tinued, "  but  of  your  own  desperate  position." 

"  A  position  for  which  you  are  in  some  measure  re- 
sponsible," said  Florus. 

"  Nay,  this  secret  league  with  robber  Zealots  is  a 
folly  all  your  own.  I  have  advocated  severity,  but 
unfortunately  your  severities  have  never  gone  far 
enough  for  my  purpose." 

His  purpose?  thought  Florus.  Did  he  think,  then, 
to  govern  Judaea  through  him?     It  would  seem  so. 

"  Your  shafts  have  galled  the  animal  merely  without 
causing  him  to  turn  and  fight." 

"  Be  plainer  with  me." 

"  My  desire  has  been  to  see  the  Jews  rise  in  revolt 
by  reason  of  the  harslmess  of  your  administration. 
Your  timid  leniency  has  foiled  my  aim.  The  Jews  have 
not  risen." 

Florus  grew  secretly  angry  to  think  that  he  had  been 
a  tool  alternately  to  Polemo  and  Berenice,  the  more  so 
as  he  had  succeeded  in  giving  satisfaction  to  neither. 

"  'Twere  better  to  carry  out  my  policy.  To  goad 
the  Jews  into  rebellion  is  now  your  only  hope  of  sal- 
vation. Your  harsh  dealing  in  the  past  will  then  have 
some  justification.  You  can  plead  that  the  character 
of  the  people  forced  you  against  your  will  to  be  severe. 
Repressive  measures  are  required  by  a  people  always 
on  the  verge  of  breaking  out  into  war.  Their  revolt 
at  this  juncture  will  serve  as  a  cloak  to  cover  your 
former  misdeeds." 

Now,  while  Polemo  was  speaking  thus,  a  new  feeling 
came  over  Florus.  He  found  his  anger  giving  place  to 
a  tingling  sensation  of  pleasure,  as  he  recalled  Bere- 
nice's words  that  she  cared  for  nothing  but  her  people 
and  her  religion.  Here  in  the  suggestion  of  Polemo  was 
the  opportunity  of  striking  at  her  through  these  twin 
idols  of  her  affection.  Among  all  his  schemes  for  hurt- 
ing Berenice  he  had  not  thought  of  this.  The  very 
thing !     What  a  splendid  vengeance  it  would  be  if  he 


78  The  Doomed  City 

could  successfully  goad  the  Jews  into  war,  and  then 
utilize  that  war  as  a  means  for  destroying  both  nation 
and  temple! 

There  have  been  monsters  in  history ;  Florus  was  one 
of  them.  His  malevolence  could  contemplate  with  equa- 
nimity the  extermination  of  a  whole  people  provided 
only  that  he  could  hurt  Berenice  by  the  action;  and 
if  the  groan  of  every  dying  victim  should  send  an 
additional  torture  to  her  heart,  why  then,  the  more  that 
died  the  better ! 

But,  as  he  fell  to  reflecting,  his  ardor  cooled  some- 
what. 

The  scheme  was  all  very  fine,  but,  in  spite  of  Po- 
lemo's  opinion  to  the  contrary,  seemed  likely  to  recoil 
upon  his  own  head.  How  could  the  governor  that  had 
purposely  provoked  a  war  hope  to  escape  punishment 
at  the  hands  of  Caesar.'*  He  put  the  question  to  Polemo, 
who  received  it  with  secret  satisfaction,  perceiving  that 
Florus  was  quite  willing  to  do  the  work,  if  only  he 
could  emerge  from  it  with  safety. 

"  Fear  not.  Having  performed  your  task,  you  dis- 
appear for  a  time.  My  kingdom  of  Pontus  shall  afford 
you  a  safe  asylum  till  the  counselors  who  surround 
Nero  shall  have  persuaded  him  that  you  have  in  reality 
done  a  good  work." 

"  Humph !  will  they  be  able  to  do  so.''  "  asked  Florus, 
dubiously. 

"  They  will,"  answered  Polemo.  "  Am  I  not  the 
friend  of  Caesar,"  he  continued,  exhibiting  the  ring 
whose  stone  was  engraved  with  Nero's  portrait,  "  en- 
titled to  stand  at  his  right  hand.  I  will  show  him  that 
you  are  a  keen  patriot ;  that  all  your  outrages  so  called, 
even  your  alliance  with  the  Zealots,  have  been  but  the 
development  of  a  profound  and  subtle  policy,  all  di- 
rected towards  one  aim  only — the  good  of  Rome." 

Florus,  whose  actions  were  never  directed  by  any- 
thing but  his  own  self-interest,  grinned  at  the  notion 
of  being  taken  for  a  patriot. 


''  Delenda  est  Hierosolyma! '*  79 

"  The  Jewish  superstition,"  continued  Polemo,  "  is 
spreading,  not  only  among  other  nations,  but  also 
among  the  Romans  themselves.  The  captive  is  taking 
captive  the  conqueror.  The  Roman  Senate  sees  in  this 
wide  diffusion  of  Judaism  a  menace  to  the  safety  of 
the  empire.  How  is  it  to  be  stopped.''  There  is  but 
one  way :  destroy  the  temple  at  Jerusalem,  and  you 
destroy  the  superstition.  And  since  war  is  the  only 
means  of  accomplishing  this  end,  Roman  statesmen 
would  be  grateful  to  Floi'us  for  initiating  the  war. 
Why  should  we  show  a  false  mercy  to  the  Jew.^*  Con- 
sider Rome's  past  policy  towards  him,  and  the  return 
he  makes  for  it. 

"  Rome  does  not  seek,  nor  even  wish,  to  impose  her 
own  gods  upon  any  of  the  subject  nations.  But  how 
different  is  the  case  with  the  Jew,  who  compasses  sea 
and  land  to  make  one  proselyte,  and  in  the  person  of 
Poppsea  has  all  but  captured  the  imperial  throne  it- 
self. Not  a  city  of  the  empire  but  has  its  synagogue, 
though,  forsooth,  the  Jew  will  not  permit  a  single 
Gentile  temple  to  be  erected  on  the  so-called  holy  soil 
of  his  own  land — nay,  would  fly  to  arms  should  the 
thing  be  attempted. 

"  This  people  are  seeking  to  Judaize  the  empire,  and 
should  this  proselytism  continue  at  its  present  rate  of 
progress,  Rome  is  doomed." 

"  How  so.''  "  asked  the  startled  Florus. 

"  Because  mankind,  when  Judaized,  will  turn,  not 
to  Rome,  but  to  Jerusalem,  as  the  capital  of  the  world, 
and  the  seat  of  ideas.  The  high  priest,  and  not  Caesar, 
will  wield  the  scepter  of  empire ;  and,  since  toleration 
is  unknown  to  the  Jew,  Oriental  barbarism  will  triumph 
over  Western  civilization.  Three  times  a  year  shall  we 
be  compelled  to  appear  at  Jerusalem.  The  laws  of 
the  Twelve  Tables  will  give  place  to  the  precepts  of 
the  rabbis.  Homer  will  be  burnt  in  the  market  square; 
the  philosophy  of  Plato  superseded  by  the  Pentateuch 
of  Moses.     Our  circus  games,  Olympian  contests,  and 


80  The  Doomed  City 

theatrical  plays  will  cease.  Sculpture  will  be  forbid- 
den ;  the  fairest  masterpieces  of  Phidias  will  perish  be- 
neath the  hammer  of  fanatics.  The  beautiful  temples 
of  Greece  will  be  given  over  to  the  flames — there  must 
be  but  one  temple  only,  that  of  the  jealous  Hebrew 
God.  All  that  gives  to  life  brightness,  and  beauty, 
and  joy,  will  vanish  forever  from  the  world,  and  we 
must  find  our  chief  pleasure  in  circumcision  and  the 
synagogue,  in  fastings  and  Sabbaths." 

"  By  the  gods,  Polemo,  you  frighten  me !  "  exclaimed 
Florus,  contemplating  with  dismay  this  picture  of  a 
Judaized  world. 

"  I  trust  I  do,  for  then  you  will  the  more  readily 
carry  out  my  designs  against  the  hateful  race  of 
fanatics,  who  will  do  all  I  have  said,  if  they  be  not 
checked.  The  existence  of  the  Jew  and  his  proselyte 
ought  not  to  be  tolerated  by  the  Roman ;  their  very 
creed  teaches  them  disloyalty." 

"  In  what  way  ?  " 

"  How  is  the  power  of  Rome  maintained.'*  Only  by 
its  army.  Abolish  the  legions,  and  how  long,  think 
you,  would  it  be  before  the  Northern  barbarians  would 
come  pouring  over  the  Rhine  and  the  Danube  bent  on 
our  overthrow?  What  part  do  the  Jew  and  his  prose- 
lyte take  in  our  common  defense?  None!  Let  a  Roman 
subject  become  a  disciple  of  the  synagogue,  and  though 
called  upon,  he  obstinately  refuses  to  serve  in  the  army, 
on  the  plea  that  he  may  have  to  march  or  to  fight  on 
the  Sabbath  day,  a  thing  forbidden  by  his  religion. 
Rome  has  had  to  yield  to  them,  and  hence  the  unwritten 
law  exempting  Jews  and  their  proselytes  from  military 
impressment.  The  Gaul  and  the  Greek,  the  Spaniard 
and  the  Egyptian,  must  be  told  off  to  defend  the  em- 
pire: you  and  I,  dear  Florus,  must  shed  our  blood, 
in  order,  forsooth,  that  the  Jew  may  have  leisure  to 
trade  upon  us,  and  grow  rich." 

"A  piece  of  injustice,  the  very  thought  of  which 
makes  one  savage,"  commented  Florus. 


"  Delenda  est  Hierosolyma! ''  81 

"The  Jew  is  in  the  empire,  but  not  of  it;  he  enjoys 
its  advantages,  but  refuses  to  pay  for  ihera.  The 
wealth  made  by  him  in  huckstering  is  not  employed  to 
benefit  the  province  where  earned,  but  is  sent  to  the 
temple  at  Jerusalem,  there  to  lie  dormant.  The  drain 
of  gold  and  silver  to  the  temple  is  so  serious  a  matter 
as  to  have  affected  at  times  the  currency  of  a  province, 
compelling  its  governor  to  forbid  the  export/ 

"  Why  this  piling  up  in  the  temple  of  treasure, 
amounting  to  millions  of  aurei?  Why?  Because  war 
cannot  be  carried  on  without  gold.  This  hoard,  which 
the  Jews  would  have  us  regard  as  merely  the  religious 
offerings  of  pious  souls,  is  in  reality  being  accumulated 
for  the  purpose  of  waging  war  against  Rome." 

"  I  have  often  thought  so  myself,"  said  Florus,  who 
had  never  thought  anything  of  the  kind. 

"  You  heard  Simon  the  Zealot  say  that  he  had  put 
his  gold  where  no  Roman  could  touch  it;  what  place 
did  he  mean  if  not  the  sanctuary  of  the  temple.' — a 
sanctuary  to  which  even  Caesar  himself  is  denied  access. 
I  warrant  that  the  escaped  Zealot  will  find  asylum  there, 
for  before  he  took  to  the  mountains  he  was  known  to 
be  the  friend  of  Eleazar,  the  captain  of  the  temple,  an 
officer  whom  you  know  to  be  outspoken  in  his  hatred 
of  Rome.  But  to  return  from  individuals  to  the  nation. 
When  they  deem  the  occasion  ripe,  they  will  of  them- 
selves declare  war,  a  war  certain  to  begin  at  the  pass- 
over  time;  for,  on  the  pretext  of  coming  up  to  the 
feast,  the  Jews  and  their  proselytes  can  be  conveniently 
summoned  from  every  quarter  of  the  empire.  Rome 
hath  never  liked  these  gatherings,  and  with  reason. 
Their  numbers  grow  year  by  year:  at  the  last  pass- 
over  the  pilgrims  swelled  the  population  of  Jerusalem 
to  the  number  of  three  hundred  myriads.  Ye  gods ! 
Think  of  it !  Three  million  fanatics  all  burning  with 
a  hatred  of  Rome  allowed  to  assemble  in  a  city,  said 
to  be  the  strongest  in  the  world !  What  can  the  Senate 
be  thinking  of.?  '  Why  should  we  wait  till  this  nation 


82  The  Doomed  City 

be  grown  more  powerful?  Even  now  there  are  rumors 
of  alliances  with  nations  outside  the  borders  of  the 
empire — with  Parthians  beyond  the  Euphrates,  and 
with  the  Arabs  of  the  desert.  Every  year  increases 
their  strength,  and  our  peril.  But  let  their  city  and 
their  temple  be  given  to  the  flames — which  is  what  must 
happen  in  the  event  of  war — and  their  religion  comes 
to  an  end ;  the  day  of  proselytism  is  over ;  the  pilgrim- 
ages cease,  for  who  will  have  faith  in  a  deity  powerless 
to  protect  his  temple.''  '  The  gods  of  Rome,'  'twill  be 
said,  '  are  more  potent  than  he  of  Judaga.'  Judaism 
once  destroyed,  the  empire  is  safe.  It  is  in  your  power, 
Floras,  to  do  this,  and  I " 

"  Satis!  "  cried  the  procurator.  "  You  have  said 
enough  to  convince  me  that  the  destroying  of  this 
nation  is  a  patriotic  and  righteous  deed." 

But  Polemo  had  still  another  argument  left,  more 
powerful  than  any  other.  He  had  purposely  kept  it  to 
the  last. 

He  drew  forth  a  small  roll  of  parchment  notes,  which 
Florus  recognized  as  his  own  monetary  acknowledg- 
ments. 

"  On  the  day  that  the  Jews  declare  war,  I  shall  burn 
these  without  asking  for  repayment." 


CHAPTER  Vn 

THE    JOURNEY    TO    JERUSALEM 

The  first  rays  of  morning  sunlight  were  gilding  the 
stately  towers  of  Caesarea  as  the  soldiers  of  the  Italian 
Cohort  filed  through  the  southern  gate  of  the  city. 

They  were  marching  on  foot  to  Jerusalem,  a  journey 
of  some  sixty  miles,  marching  by  the  military  road 
made  by  the  Romans  themselves,  a  highway  so  well 
and  durably  paved  that  portions  of  it  still  remain  after 
the  lapse  of  nearly  two  thousand  years. 

A  little  in  advance  of  these  troops,  and  justly  proud 
of  their  fine  and  martial  appearance,  rode  the  tribune 
Terentius  Rufus,  and  at  his  side  was  Crispus,  mounted 
likewise  upon  a  curveting  steed. 

On  the  previous  day  Nero's  edict  had  been  posted 
up  in  the  public  places  of  Cffisarea ;  it  gave  the  preced- 
ency to  the  Greeks. 

Now,  though  it  was  plain  to  the  least  observant  that 
the  city  was  seething  with  excitement  caused  by  the 
triumph  of  the  one  faction  and  the  mortification  of 
the  other,  Rufus  and  his  cohort  had  been  commanded 
by  the  procurator  to  return  to  Jerusalem  on  the  ground 
that  all  was  quiet  at  Caesarea ! 

"  And  Florus  himself,"  remarked  Rufus,  "  is  with- 
drawing to  Sebaste  with  his  legion,  so  that  the  city 
will  be  entirely  denuded  of  troops.  Pluto  take  me !  " 
he  continued,  knitting  his  brows  in  perplexity,  "  if  I 
can  understand  his  conduct  save  upon  the  supposition 
that  he  wants  to  kindle  the  torch  of  war." 

The  two  rode  on  in  silence  for  a  while.  Then  Cris- 
pus, who  from  time  to  time  had  been  glancing  back  at 
the  marching  troops,  said,  with  a  somewhat  perplexed 
air: 

83 


84  The  Doomed  City 

"  Rufus,  there  is  something  lacking  in  thy  cohort. 
What  is  it?  Ah!  I  have  it.  The  eagle!  Where  is 
it.?" 

"  Purposely  left  behind  in  the  Prastorium  at 
Cassarea." 

"  Name  of  Mars  ! — why  }  " 

"  In  going  through  Judjea  we  have  to  pay  respect 
to  the  Jewish  superstition,  which,  as  you  know,  regards 
all  images  with  abhorrence." 

Crispus  was  for  the  moment  dumb  with  indigna- 
tion. 

"  What !  "  cried  he.  "  We  must  not  carry  our  stand- 
ards in  a  country  conquered  by  us>?  Doth  Rome  rule 
Judaea,  or  Judaea  Rome.''  " 

"  Judaea  doth,  in  this  matter  at  least,  rule  Rome." 

"  I  pray  you,  Rufus,"  said  Crispus,  reining  in  his 
steed,  "  bid  a  centurion  return  for  the  eagle." 

But  Rufus  shook  his  head. 

"  Pontius  Pilate  was  of  like  mind  with  you.  He  made 
his  first  entry  into  Jerusalem  with  figured  banners.  For 
three  days  and  two  nights  the  Jewish  populace  howled, 
raged,  and  wept  round  his  Praetorium.  At  the  end  of 
the  third  day  he  sent  his  troops  among  them  with  drawn 
swords.  The  Jews  flung  themselves  prostrate,  bared 
their  necks,  and  cried  that  they  would  rather  die  than 
see  their  laws  broken. 

"  What  could  dismayed  Pilate  do  ?  He  couldn't 
massacre  a  whole  people  in  the  first  week  of  his  govern- 
ment. Compelled  sullenly  to  yield,  he  sent  the  ensigns 
back  to  Caesarea.  Since  that  day  no  troops  dare  ven- 
ture into  Jerusalem  save  with  plain  banners." 

"  Forbidden  to  carry  the  eagles,"  muttered  Crispus 
wrathfully.     "  How  long  shall  this  be.?  " 

"  Till  our  next  war  with  them,  when  we  shall  more 
thoroughly  vindicate  the  supremacy  of  Rome,  and  be 
masters  in  our  own  house." 

"When  will  that  be.?" 

*'  'Tis  but  a  matter  of  days,  in  my  opinion." 


Tlie  Journey  to  Jernsalem  85 

Days !  To  Crispus  this  was  startling  news,  and  yet 
not  unwelcome. 

"  I  carry  with  me  a  sealed  letter,"  continued  Rufus, 
"  addressed  to  King  Agrippa,  who  is  at  Jerusalem. 
He  is,  as  you  know,  the  brother  of  the  Princess  Bere- 
nice, the  nominator  of  the  high  priest,  and  the  supreme 
guardian  of  the  temple  treasures.  The  purport  of  the 
letter  I  know  not,  but  if  I  may  judge  from  Florus' 
sinister  smile  as  he  handed  me  the  missive,  it  contains 
some  command  which  Agrippa  will  be  loth  to  execute. 
Should  the  Jews  of  Jerusalem  support  the  king  in  his 
attitude,  it  may  prove  the  beginning  of  an  outbreak 
whose  end  no  man  can  foresee.  I  may  be  wrong,  Cris- 
pus, but  I  have  a  presentiment  that  in  this  letter  we 
are  carrying  the  fate  of  Judsea." 

Crispus  frowned.  He  loved  fighting,  but  it  seemed 
to  him  there  would  be  little  honor  and  glory  gained  in 
reducing  to  submission  a  people  goaded  to  war  by  the 
deliberate  oppression  of  an  unjust  governor. 

The  road  traversed  by  the  Romans  wound  south- 
wards through  the  flower-enameled  meads  that  consti- 
tute the  Plain  of  Sharon,  never  more  lovely  than  when 
seen  in  the  soft  sunshine  of  a  May  morning. 

Now  and  again  in  their  march  the  Romans  would 
pass  a  gayly-clad  group  of  Jewish  country-folk,  many 
of  them  accompanied  by  asses  and  mules,  laden  with 
timber. 

"  Pilgrims  bound  for  Jerusalem,"  explained  Rufus  in 
answer  to  Crispus'  inquiries.  "  Within  a  few  days 
comes  the  Festival  of  the  Xylophoria,  or  the  Wood- 
offering,  when  the  Jews  are  accustomed  to  bring  to 
the  temple  supplies  of  timber  sufficient  to  keep  the 
sacrificial  fires  going  for  a  year." 

At  a  wayside  spring  a  somewhat  numerous  caravan 
had  made  a  brief  halt  to  refill  their  water-skins,  and 
to  refresh  their  beasts  of  burden.  The  air  was 
lively  with  the  sound  of  timbrels,  of  songs,  and  of 
dances. 


86  The  Doomed  City 

The  approach  of  the  clanging  cohort,  with  its 
swinging  martial  stride,  put  a  sudden  stop  to  the 
mirth. 

"  The  Romans !  the  Romans !  "  was  the  cry. 

Silent  of  tongue,  but  with  eyes  that  looked  unmistak- 
able hatred,  the  pilgrims  drew  aside  to  let  the  legion- 
aries pass.  One  fierce-looking  Jew,  bolder  than  his  fel- 
lows, cried  aloud :  "  To  Gehenna  with  all  Gentiles !  " 

Rufus  rode  past  with  a  smile  of  contempt. 

"  Yon  fellow  knows  full  well,"  said  he,  "  that  if  1 
choose,  I  can  hang  him  to  the  nearest  tree,  and  yet 
the  knowledge  of  that  fact  cannot  keep  him  from  ex- 
pressing his  hatred  of  the  Romans." 

"  What  is  the  Gehenna  to  which  he  would  consign 
us.? "  asked  Crispus,  who  was  not  so  well  versed  in 
Hebrew  matters  as  Rufus. 

"  The  Jewish  Tartarus,  a  place  of  flame  and  tor- 
ment, to  which  you  and  I,  no  matter  how  virtuous  our 
life,  are  destined  to  be  sent,  according  to  the  saying 
of  the  rabbis,  '  The  Gentiles  are  only  so  much  fuel  for 
Gehenna.'  " 

"  They  don't  love  us,  these  Jews,"  laughed  Crispus. 

"  Hatred  of  the  Roman  is  drawn  in  with  the  mater- 
nal milk.  You  see  now  the  necessity  for  maintaining 
so  large  a  military  force  in  Judsa.  Africa,  once  the 
seat  of  the  Carthaginian  empire,  is  kept  in  order  by 
a  single  legion.  One  legion,  too,  suffices  for  warlike 
Spain.  Greece,  once  so  great  in  deeds  of  arms,  hath 
no  legion  at  all  within  her  bounds.  These  turbulent 
Jews  require  three  legions.  Think  of  it !  Thirty-six 
thousand  men  perpetually  under  arms  in  a  province  no 
larger  than  our  native  Latium,  so  restless  are  these 
Jews,  so  hostile  to  our  rule." 

"  Why  that  stoppage  in  front?  "  said  Crispus,  glanc- 
ing ahead  at  a  group  of  distant  pilgrims  who  had  come 
to  a  sudden  stand-still  in  a  way  that  threatened  to  im- 
pede the  march  of  the  on-coming  Romans. 

"  That,"  replied  Rufus,  "  is  another  proof  of  Jewish 


The  Journey  to  Jerusalem  87 

contempt  for  the  foreigner.  The  stone  you  see  by  the 
roadside  marks  the  border  of  two  provinces.  At  present 
we  are  in  heathen  Phoenicia ;  pass  that  stone,  and  we 
are  in  holy  Judaea.  Your  Hebrew,  on  arriving  at  the 
frontier,  takes  off  his  sandals  and  carefully  wipes  them, 
lest  he  should  pollute  the  sacred  soil  of  Judaea  by  bring- 
ing upon  it  the  profane  dust  of  other  lands." 

Crispus  looked,  and  saw  that  it  was  even  as  Rufus 
had  said.  Every  Jew,  upon  coming  to  the  frontier- 
stone,  removed  his  shoes,  and  either  wiped  or  shook 
them,  a  somewhat  useless  cleansing,  seeing  that  a  minute 
afterwards  the  six  hundred  men  of  the  Italian  Cohort 
were  bringing  in  Phoenician  dust  with  them. 

"  You  are  a  patrician  of  Rome,"  said  Rufus,  address- 
ing Crispus,  "  proud  of  your  pure  and  lofty  lineage, 
but  know  this,  that  if  the  vilest  beggar  in  Jerusalem 
should  be  touched  by  you  on  the  eve  of  the  passover 
he  would  deem  himself  so  unclean  as  to'  be  unable  to 
keep  the  feast.  Purification  by  bathing  would  entitle 
him  to  the  privilege  of  the  supplementary  passover  held 
seven  days  later  to  meet  such  cases." 

A  march  of  some  twenty-five  miles  brought  the  cohort 
to  Antipatris,  a  military  station  guarding  the  line  of 
communication  between  Caesarea  and  Jerusalem.  With- 
in the  barracks  of  this  town  Rufus  found  ample  accom- 
modation for  his  troops.  At  nightfall  he  and  Crispus 
ascended  to  the  battlements  of  the  Roman  castle ;  from 
their  lofty  position  the  two  could  see  the  whole  extent 
of  Sharon,  from  the  mountains  to  the  sea,  whitened  by 
the  silvery  moonlight. 

Far  and  wide  over  the  landscape  gleamed  the  fires  of 
the  Jewish  pilgrims,  camping  for  the  night  under  the 
leafy  terebinth  or  by  the  wayside  spring. 

"  List !  "  said  Rufus,  with  uplifted  finger. 

Floating  upward  from  the  valley  below  came  the 
sound  of  many  voices  conjoined  in  a  mournful  melody. 
Now  and  again  Crispus  could  faintly  catch  some  of 
the  words  of  the  refrain. 


88  The  Boomed  City 

"  If  I  forget  thee,  0  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand 
forget  her  cunning !  " 

As  the  breeze  wavered,  the  voices  rose  and  fell  with 
a  weird  and  plaintive  effect,  and  Crispus  thrilled  as  he 
listened.  There  was,  to  his  way  of  thinking,  a  sob  in 
every  cadence — "  How  long,  O  Lord,  how  long?  " — a 
wild  appeal  to  heaven  for  vengeance  against  their  pres- 
ent oppressor,  the  Roman. 

A  spirit  of  profound  melancholy  fell  upon  Crispus 
as  he  contemplated  the  character  of  this  strange  East- 
em  nation.  In  his  journey  that  day  every  face  seen 
by  him,  every  incident  that  had  happened,  gave  proof 
that  though  Jew  and  Roman  touched  each  other  at  a 
hundred  points,  they  were  nevertheless  as  far  apart 
as  if  seas  rolled  between  them. 

While  all  other  nations  of  the  empire,  including  even 
Greece,  so  renowned  in  arts,  arms,  and  learning,  were 
content  to  live  peaceably,  nay  happily  under  the  shadow 
of  the  eagle-wings  of  Rome,  the  Jew  maintained  an 
attitude  of  sullen  hostility  to  his  conqueror. 

How  long  was  this  antagonism  to  last?  Was  the 
Jew  to  remain  forever  a  thorn  in  the  side  of  the  empire, 
or  must  the  solution  of  the  problem  come,  as  Rufus 
was  convinced  it  would,  in  the  shape  of  an  exterminat- 
ing war? 

Next  morning  at  sunrise  the  march  was  resumed. 
The  road,  that  had  hitherto  followed  a  line  parallel 
with  the  coast,  now  turned  inland,  and  leaving  the  mari- 
time plain  behind  them,  the  Romans  began  to  ascend 
the  picturesque  ravines  that  wind  towards  the  rocky 
tableland  upon  which  Jerusalem  is  built. 

Gophna,  another  military  station,  fifteen  miles  dis- 
tant from  the  holy  city,  was  their  second  stopping- 
place. 

At  daybreak  they  began  the  third  and  final  stage  of 
their  journey,  along  a  road  dazzlingly  white  and  dusty. 

At  the  ninth  hour  of  the  morning  the  cohort  was 
toiling  through  an  upland  ravine.     In  front  of  them 


The  Journey  to  Jerusalem  8d 

at  some  distance  was  a  numerous  body  of  wood-bearing 
pilgrims.  Suddenly,  as  their  van  gained  the  highest 
point  of  the  road,  a  thrilling  shout  broke  from  it, 
followed  by  a  precipitate  hurrying  forward  on  the  part 
of  all  of  those  in  the  rear. 

"  Yerushalaim !  Yerushalai'm !  "  was  the  cry  that  rang 
out  on  the  morning  air,  the  cry  of  the  Jews. 

"  Hagiopolis  !  Hagiopolis !  "  exclaimed  the  Greek 
proselytes. 

"  Hierosolyma  !  "  said  Rufus  quietly. 

Impelled  by  a  natural  curiosity,  Crispus  pressed  for- 
ward his  steed,  and,  as  he  gained  the  northern  height 
of  Scopus,  the  whole  city  at  one  flash  burst  full  upon 
his  view. 

He  drew  rein,  and,  with  a  lively  interest,  gazed  upon 
the  famous  city — "  longe  clarissima  urbium  Orientis  " 
— whose  origin  was  lost  far  back  in  the  night  of  an- 
tiquity, a  city  gray  with  age  ere  ever  a  stone  of  Rome 
was  laid ! 

A  century  earlier  Jerusalem  had  presented  a  dull 
and  even  squalid  appearance ;  but,  thanks  to  that  mag- 
nificent despot,  Herod  the  Great,  a  monarch  distin- 
guished by  his  taste  for  Grecian  architecture,  the  city 
was  now  a  dream  of  beauty,  with  its  imperial  mantle 
of  proud  towers ;  its  marble  palaces  gleaming  through 
the  clear,  transparent  air  of  a  Syrian  morn ;  its  stately 
colonnades  and  triumphal  arches,  interspersed  with  the 
foliage  of  the  tall  and  graceful  palm ;  and,  above  all, 
the  pure,  white  temple,  "  a  mount  of  alabaster,  topped 
with  golden  spires,"  flashing  in  the  morning  sunlight 
with  a  splendor  that  forced  the  eyes  to  turn  aside. 

Crispus  looked  at  it,  and  thought  of  his  dream. 

"  Mark  me,"  said  Rufus,  "  it  will  never  be  well  with 
Rome  till  yon  fair  city  be  leveled  with  the  dust,  and 
the  plow  passed  over  it." 

Prophetic  words ! 

If  those  Jews,  among  whom  Crispus  and  Rufus  were 
now  making  their  way,   could  but  have  foreseen   the 


90  The  Doomed  City 

future,  their  daggers  would  have  flashed  in  the 
sunny  air,  and  the  two  Romans  would  have  been  no 
more ! 

The  supreme  emotion  evoked  among  the  peasant  pil- 
grims by  the  sight  of  the  holy  city  was  expressed  in 
characteristic  fashion.  Some  laughed  aloud  in  the  in- 
sanity of  joy;  others,  with  clasped  hands  and  tears 
in  their  eyes,  sank  upon  their  knees,  and  not  a  few 
among  the  women  fainted.  Some  pulled  off  their  san- 
dals, and  walked  barefoot  towards  the  city,  as  though 
the  way  were  hallowed  ground ;  others  assumed  their 
richest  robe,  as  if  they  were  about  to  enter  a  holy 
synagogue.  One  member  of  the  throng,  a  Levite,  lift- 
ing up  a  sonorous  voice,  began  the  chanting  of  a 
psalm,  appropriate  to  the  occasion ;  and  the  refrain 
was  immediately  taken  up  by  the  whole  multitude,  slow- 
moving   towards   the    city : 

"  The  hill  of  Zion  is  a  fair  place,  and  the  joy  of 
the  whole  earth ;  upon  the  north  side  lieth  the  citadel 
of  the  Great  King." 

"  Now,  if  by  the  Great  King  is  meant  Csesar,  which 
is  to  be  doubted,"  remarked  Rufus,  "  these  fanatics  are 
right.  Thou  seest  yon  edifice,  Crispus,  towering  high 
above  the  temple.  'Tis  my  Roman  citadel,  of  whose 
hospitality  you  must  partake." 

Making  their  way  through  a  region  of  groves  and 
gardens,  adorned  with  the  mansions  of  the  wealthy 
residents,  the  Roman  troops  entered  the  city,  and 
threading  its  narrow,  winding  streets,  came  to  their 
quarters  in  the  citadel  Antonia,  so  named  by  Herod 
the  Great  in  memory  of  his  friend  and  patron.  Marc 
Antony,  its  usual  name  among  the  Jews  being  Baris, 
or  the  Tower. 

This  fortress  occupied  the  summit  of  a  lofty  rock, 
separated  from  the  mount  on  which  the  temple  stood 
by  a  deep  ravine,  crossed  by  a  line  of  arches.  As  the 
temple — in  itself  a  stronghold — dominated  and  looked 
down  upon  the  city,  so  did  Antonia  dominate  and  I00I5 


The  Journey  to  Jerusalem  91 

down  upon  the  temple.  Far  above  the  golden  roof  of 
the  sanctuary  towered  its  haughty  battlements,  adorned 
with  the  standard  bearing  the  significant  letters, 
S.P.Q.R.  Upon  that  proud  banner,  the  visible  symbol 
of  Roman  dominion,  no  Jew  ever  looked  save  with  a 
wrathful  curse. 

Leaving  his  men  in  their  quarters,  Rufus,  losing  no 
time,  set  off,  accompanied  by  Crispus,  for  the  palace 
of  Agrippa,  bent  on  delivering  to  that  monarch  the 
letter  of  Florus. 

It  was  still  early  morning,  and  the  streets,  thronged 
by  pilgrims,  new-arriving,  presented  an  animated  and 
busy  aspect,  which  would  disappear  later,  when  the 
heat  of  noontide  would  usher  in  the  quietude  of  the 
siesta. 

Suddenly,  high  above  the  sounds  produced  by  the 
restless  throng,  there  rose  a  voice,  and  one  so  weird 
that  Crispus  had  never  before  heard  the  like.  At  its 
hollow  tone,  voices,  sounds,  footsteps,  ceased.  A  hush 
as  of  death  fell  over  all. 

Along  the  middle  of  the  street,  and  moving  at  a 
pace  that  never  changed  from  its  slow  and  measured 
uniformity,  came  a  wild-eyed,  melancholy  figure,  clad 
in  a  single  robe  of  camel's  hair,  and  tied  at  the  waist 
with  a  leathern  girdle. 

His  arms  were  raised  to  heaven;  he  glanced  neither 
to  right  nor  left;  his  face  was  like  a  mask  of  stone, 
set  in  one  unchanging  expression  of  woe. 

No  man  stopped  him;  no  man  questioned  him;  all 
knew  the  uselessness  of  it. 

He  was  a  familiar  figure  to  the  people,  but  familiar- 
ity had  never  lessened  one  thrill  of  the  awe  felt  by 
them  whenever  he  appeared. 

"  A  voice  from  the  East,  a  voice  from  the  West, 
a  voice  from  the  fours  winds,  a  voice  against  Jerusalem 
and  the  holy  house,  a  voice  against  the  bridegrooms 
and  the  brides,  and  a  voice  against  this  whole  people. 
Woe,  woe  to  Jerusalem !  " 


92  The  Doomed  City 

The  people  stood,  as  they  always  stood  when  he 
passed  by,  immovable,  silent,  wondering.  Did  they  be- 
hold a  madman,  or  one  in  whom  was  the  spirit  of  the 
ancient  prophets? 

"Who  is  yon  fellow?"  asked  Crispus,  watching  the 
figure  as  it  receded  in  the  distance. 

"  Jesus,  the  son  of  Hanan.  'Tis  four  years  since  he 
began  to  appear  at  the  yearly  feasts,  traversing  the 
streets  and  uttering  the  woe  that  we  have  just  heard. 
Brought  before  the  tribunal  of  the  procurator  Albinus, 
and  questioned,  he  would  answer  only,  '  Woe,  woe  to 
Jerusalem ! '  Though  scourged  till  his  bones  were  laid 
bare,  he  maintained  during  it  all  a  dry  eye  and  a  stony 
countenance,  uttering  the  while  his  weird  plaint.  He 
seems  to  be,  not  a  man,  but  a  voice," 

"  The  voice  of  some  god,  it  may  be,"  muttered  Cris- 
pus, upon  whose  mind  the  incident  had  left  a  singular 
impression.  "  Doomed  Troy  had  its  Cassandra,  whom 
none  would  believe  until  too  late.  So,  too,  Jerusalem 
seems  to  have  its  prophet,  to  whom  this  foolish  people, 
that  dream  of  war,  would  do  well  to  give  heed." 

Resuming  their  walk,  the  two  friends  ascended  the 
slope  of  Mount  Zion,  and  came  to  the  old  Asamonean 
Palace,  the  residence  of  King  Agrippa. 

"Aren't  you  coming  in  with  me?"  asked  Rufus,  as 
Crispus  hesitated.  "  We  may  encounter  the  Princess 
Berenice." 

Crispus  turned  away,  saying  he  would  await  his 
friend's  return  in  the  Xystus  close  by.  Rufus  looked 
after  him  in  some  wonderment. 

"  For  the  future,"  he  muttered,  "  I  had  better  re- 
frain from  mentioning  Berenice's  name ;  it  seems  to 
trouble  him." 

Rufus,  on  being  admitted  to  the  presence  of  Agrippa, 
found  him  seated  at  a  table.  In  person  he  was  tall 
and  slender.  Delicate  and  refined  in  features,  and 
dressed  in  the  height  of  Jewish  fashion,  he  presented, 
at  any  rate  in  the  eyes  of  the  sturdy  Roman,  a  some- 


The  Journey  to  Jerusalem  93 

what  effeminate  appearance.  On  one  side  of  him  was 
his  sister  Berenice,  Avho  had  arrived  at  Jerusalem  the 
preceding  night;  on  the  other  was  an  elderly  man 
with  a  hooked  nose,  thin  lips,  and  a  yellow  polished 
forehead,  who  looked  like  a  typical  rabbi,  as  indeed 
he  was,  being  none  other  than  Simeon,  the  son  of  the 
celebrated  Gamaliel.  Before  him  lay  an  ink-horn  and 
a  parchment  scroll ;  between  his  fingers  was  a  calamus 
or  reed  pen.  Evidently  he  had  been  composing  some 
document  with  the  aid  of  his  royal  friends,  and  all  three 
were  looking  as  if  very  well  pleased  with  their  work. 
Rufus  wondered  whether  they  would  look  so  well  pleased 
after  reading  the  document  that  he  was  bringing  for 
them. 

"  This  prayer,"  said  Simeon,  laying  his  hand  upon 
the  parchment-scroll  before  him,  "  this  prayer  Avill 
serve  as  a  fan  to  winnow  the  chaff  from  the  wheat." 

The  three  looked  up  as  Rufus  entered.  He,  being 
the  commandant  of  Antonia,  was  a  great  man  in  Jeru- 
salem, and  they  therefore  received  him  affably. 

"  And  what  would  the  excellent  Rufus  with  us }  " 
asked  Agrippa. 

The  excellent  Rufus  handed  the  letter  to  the  king, 
who  took  it  between  his  delicate  jeweled  fingers  and 
broke  the  seal.  While  he  was  doing  this  Berenice  rose 
from  the  table,  and  drawing  near  to  Rufus  addressed 
him  in  a  low  tone. 

"Did  you  leave  Crispus  at  Csesarea.''" 

Her  tone  and  look,  betraying  more  than  ordinary 
interest  in  the  absent  Roman,  came  as  a  revelation  to 
Rufus. 

"  As  I  live,"  he  thought,  "  this  woman  loves  Crispus." 
Aloud  he  answered,  "  Nay,  princess,  he  hath  accom- 
panied me  to  Jerusalem." 

"Where  is  he  now.''"  she  asked  eagerly. 

And  Rufus,  knowing  that  it  would  bring  trouble  into 
those  beautiful  eyes  were  she  to  learn  that  the  phleg- 
matic Crispus  preferred  the  miscellaneous  crowd  in  the 


94  The  Doomed  City 

Xystus  to  the  attractions  of  the  Asamonean  Palace, 
replied,  "  I  left  him  in  Antonia." 

What  other  question  she  might  have  asked  was  in- 
terrupted by  Agrippa,  who,  having  mastered  the  con- 
tents of  the  epistle,  was  frowning  terribly.  He  called 
his  sister  to  his  side  and  handed  her  the  letter.  She 
knit  her  brows  as  she  read,  and  in  turn  passed  the 
missive  to  Simeon,  who,  after  duly  perusing  it,  seemed 
to  be  more  angry  than  his  royal  patrons. 

They  were  quiet  for  a  time,  all  thinking. 

"  Submit  not  to  this  demand,"  said  Berenice  passion- 
ately, addressing  her  brother,  "  since  submission  will 
be  quoted  as  a  precedent ;  we  shall  be  virtually  acknowl- 
edging his  right  to  make  such  claim.  One  oppression 
will  lead  to  another." 

"  True,  but  on  the  other  hand,"  returned  Agrippa, 
"  if  he  should  seek  to  make  good  his  demand  by  force 
of  arms  'twill  lead  to  tumult  and  bloodshed — nay,  even 
to  open  rebellion,  for  at  this  present  time  the  popular 
mind  is  strung  to  a  high  state  of  tension  by  prophets 
who  predict  the  near  advent  of  the  Messiah's  king- 
dom." 

Turning  to  Rufus  he  said  aloud: 

"You  know  the  contents  of  this  letter.''" 

"  Indeed,  no.  I  was  told  no  more  than  to  press  for 
an  immediate  answer." 

"  I  will  defer  my  reply  till  to-night." 

Rufus  bowed  and  withdrew. 

"  /  am  the  cause  of  this,"  said  Berenice  sorrowfully. 

"You,  princess!     How.?"  exclaimed  Simeon. 

"  This  is  Florus'  way  of  taking  vengeance  upon  me 
because  I  have  declined  to  listen  to  his  wooing." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

WHAT   HAPPENED   IN   THE   ROYAL  SYNAGOGUE 

The  heat  of  noontide  had  passed,  and  Crispus,  under 
the  guidance  of  Rufus,  was  spending  his  time  in  viewing 
the  city.  It  might  be  thought  that  the  Temple  would 
be  the  first  place  visited  by  him,  but  this  Rufus  re- 
served for  the  night,  when,  by  virtue  of  his  office  as 
commandant  of  Antonia,  he  would  be  able  to  exhibit 
that  edifice — or  as  much  of  it  as  was  permissible  for 
a  Gentile  to  see — by  the  tender  light  of  the  moon, 
and  freed  from  the  crowds  that  frequented  its  courts 
during  the  day. 

"And  what  place  is  that.'*"  asked  Crispus,  pointing 
to  a  quadrangular  edifice  of  white  stone,  over  whose 
portal  was  written  in  Hebrew  characters  the  word 
"  Shalom,"  or  "  Peace." 

"  The  Royal  Synagogue,  so  called,"  answered  Rufus, 
necessity  here  compelling  him  to  break  a  certain  in- 
junction he  had  laid  upon  himself,  "  so  called  as  having 
been  raised  by  the  Princess  Berenice  at  her  own  private 
expense.  Among  the  Jews,  if  you  would  gain  a  char- 
acter for  piety,  build  a  synagogue." 

"  Is  the  worship  going  on  ?  " 

The  proximity  of  a  sun-dial  enabled  Rufus  to  give 
an  answer.  "  It  is  a  little  before  the  ninth  hour,  which 
constitutes  the  Arabith,  or  time  of  evening  prayer. 
Worship  will  begin  shortly.  You  see  the  pious  are 
already  hurrying  thither." 

"  I  have  never  yet  seen  a  synagogue  service,"  said 
Crispus,  "  and  would  fain  see  one." 

"  I  deplore  your  taste,  but  for  friendship's  sake  I'll 
accompany  you.     'Tis  the  fashion  of  the  Jews,  as  you 

95 


96  The  Doomed  City 

see,  to  run  to  their  synagogue,  by  way  of  showing  their 
eagerness  for  divine  worship.  But  we,  who  are  digni- 
fied Romans,  can  take  It  more  leisurely." 

Discoursing  thus,  Rufus  drew  near  the  Royal  Syna- 
gogue. 

"  A  small  edifice,  this,  but  neat,"  he  continued. 
"  Now  If  you  want  to  see  something  really  splendid  In 
a  synagogic  shape,  go  to  Alexandria  and  view  the 
DIapleuston,  with  Its  seventy  golden  chairs  for  the 
seventy  members  of  the  Sanhedrim ;  and  as  for  size, 
so  vast  Is  It  that  the  signal  for  the  '  Amen  '  has  to 
be  given  by  the  waving  of  a  flag.  'TIs  a  striking 
scene !  " 

As  they  stood  upon  the  threshold,  Rufus  addressed 
the  decurlon  that  was  in  attendance  upon  him.  "  It  Is 
forbidden  to  wear  arms  In  the  S3magogue ;  therefore, 
Quintus,  take  charge  of  my  good  sword,  and  tarry  here 
till  I  come  again.  Doff  we  our  sandals,  Crispus,  for 
'tis  the  custom  to  enter  barefoot." 

Access  was  gained  to  the  Interior  of  the  synagogue 
by  a  vestibule.  Here  stood  the  doorkeeper.  He  recog- 
nized in  Rufus  the  commandant  of  Antonia,  and  at 
the  latter's  desire  conducted  the  two  visitors  to  a  place 
at  the  rear,  where,  screened  by  a  pillar,  they  could  see 
without  being  seen. 

The  Interior  of  the  synagogue  was  very  similar  to 
that  of  a  basilica,  being  oblong  In  shape  and  divided 
by  pillars  Into  aisles. 

The  worshipers  were  ranged,  the  men  on  the  one  side 
and  the  women  on  the  other,  a  partition  about  four 
feet  high  running  between  them — a  striking  contrast 
to  the  modern  synagogic  usage  of  placing  the  women 
in  side  galleries,  screened  with  lattice-work. 

At  the  farther  end  of  the  building  was  a  platform 
or  dais,  on  which  stood  the  ark,  or  coffer,  containing 
the  rolls  of  the  sacred  books.  Before  it  rose  a  golden 
candlestick,  with  seven  branches. 

"  A  copy  of  the  one  In  the  temple,"  observed  Rufus. 


What  Happened  in  the  Royal  Synagogue      97 

In  front  of  the  platform  was  a  line  of  seats,  whose 
occupants,  mostly  aged  rabbis,  sat  facing  the  congre- 
gation. These  v.-ere  the  places  of  honor,  the  "  chief 
seats  "  so  much  coveted  by  every  Jew ;  and  here,  by 
special  privilege,  as  being  the  foundress  of  the  syna- 
gogue, sat  the  Princess  Berenice. 

"  Who  is  that  sitting  on  the  right  of  the  princess .?  " 
asked  Crispus. 

For  reply  Rufus  drew  forth  a  golden  coin,  and 
pointed  to  its  obverse,  which  bore  the  legend,  "  Agrippa, 
the  Great  King." 

Crispus,  knowing  that  Agrippa's  realm  of  Chalcis 
was  of  less  extent  than  many  a  Roman  estate,  asked: 

"  In  what  is  he  great  ?  " 

"  In  his  own  esteem,  and  in  the  knowledge  of  his  own 
law,  being  expert  '  in  all  customs  and  questions  which 
are  among  the  Jews.'  We  shall  perhaps  have  the 
pleasure  of  hearing  him  read  from  the  Law  and  the 
Prophets,  since  he  is  fond  of  so  doing." 

"  And  what  is  that  short  marble  pillar  at  one  side 
of  the  dais.?  " 

"  That  is  the  Red  Column.  Offenders  against  syna- 
gogic  discipline  are  tied  to  it  and  scourged." 

Rufus  had  scarcely  said  this  when  the  people  rose 
to  their  feet,  the  customary  attitude  for  prayer. 

The  sheliach,  or  "  angel,"  who  presided  over  this 
part  of  the  worship  was  Simeon,  the  son  of  Gamaliel, 
and  he  began  with  an  announcement  that  caused  no 
little  surprise  among  the  members  of  the  congrega- 
tion. 

There  was  to  be  made,  beginning  with  that  very  day, 
an  addition  to  the  current  liturgy  of  the  synagogue,  an 
addition  necessitated  by  the  conduct  of  those  impious 
sectaries,  the  Nazarenes. 

"  Who  are  the  Nazarenes .''  "  whispered  Crispus. 

"  The  Christians,"  replied  Rufus. 

It  was  well  known — so  ran  the  tenor  of  Simeon's  re- 
marks— that    in    spite    of   their   changed    faith,    these 


98  The  Doomed  City 

apostates,  being  in  no  way  recognizable,  since  they  pre- 
served the  outward  semblance  of  orthodox  Jews,  were 
in  the  habit  of  resorting  to  the  synagogues,  and  of 
joining  in  the  worship,  thus  defiling  the  holy  people 
by  their  presence.  As  such  mixed  worship  could  not 
be  acceptable  to  God,  the  true  Jew  must  take  steps 
to  preserve  himself  from  such  defilement.  Therefore 
for  the  future  the  initiatory  prayer  would  be  of  a  char- 
acter such  as  no  Nazarene  could  join  in  without  at 
the  same  time  abjuring  his  faith,  since  it  contained 
curses  directed  against  Jesus,  the  son  of  Panther.* 
That  prayer  he  would  now  proceed  to  recite,  and  let 
each  member  of  the  congregation  mark  well  his  neigh- 
bor, and  take  due  note  of  him  who  should  refuse  to 
ratify  it  with  the  customary  "  Amen." 

"  Who  is  Jesus,  the  son  of  Panther.''  "  asked  Crispus. 

"  The  same  as  he  whom  we  call  Christus.  His  dis- 
ciples say  that  he  was  born  of  a  pure  virgin — a  mani- 
fest impossibility.  The  Jews,  with  more  reason,  assert 
that  his  mother  committed  adultery  with  a  soldier 
named  Panther." 

Now,  as  Crispus  was  passing  his  eyes  over  the  con- 
gregation at  this  juncture,  he  happened  to  see  what 
had  hitherto  escaped  his  notice.  Vashti  was  standing 
among  the  worshipers.  She  was  pale,  very  pale ;  the 
expression  of  her  face,  the  very  attitude  of  her  figure, 
were  suggestive  of  mental  distress. 

For  a  moment  Crispus  was  puzzled  to  account  for 
her  agitation ;  then  the  truth  like  a  flash  of  light  darted 
into  his  mind.  Vashti  had  a  secret,  and  one  that  could 
no  longer  be  kept  hidden  by  her  unless  she  chose  to  play 
the  traitress  to  her  conscience,  and  that,  he  felt  certain, 
she  would  not  do. 

"  Cursed  be  Jesus,  the  Son  of  Panther ! " 

A  shiver  passed  over  Vashti ;  she  compressed  her  lips 
tightly,  while  from  every  other  Jewish  mouth  there 
flew  an  "  Amen !  "  uttered  with  a  vehemence  that  spoke 
of  a  fierce  and  vindictive  hatred. 


What  Happened  in  the  Royal  Synagogue      99 

Ere  Simeon  could  come  to  his  next  sentence,  a  man 
by  the  partition — it  was  Sadas,  Berenice's  freedman — 
who  had  been  intently  watching  Vashti,  suddenly  raised 
his  arm  to  attract  attention,  and  cried  in  a  voice  that 
penetrated  to  every  corner  of  the  congregation : 

"  Holy  rabbi,  here  is  one  who  refuses  to  say  '  Amen ' 
to  that  anathema." 

Amid  the  breathless  silence  that  followed,  all  eyes 
turned,  first  upon  the  speaker,  then  upon  the  person 
pointed  out  by  his  accusatory  finger. 

The  congregation  doubted.  This  maiden,  so  regular 
in  her  attendance  at  the  synagogue,  daughter  of  the 
rabbi  Hyrcanus,  and  ward  of  the  orthodox  Josephus, 
an  apostate.''     It  could  not  be. 

"  Vashti,  daughter  of  Hyrcanus,"  said  Simeon 
gravely,  "  do  you  refuse  to  join  in  the  common  voice 
of  the  synagogue  .-^  " 

Vashti  was  silent. 

"  Cursed  be  Jesus,  the  son  of  Panther !  Do  you  not 
say  'Amen'  to  this  anathema. ^  " 

At  this,  which  to  her  mind  was  blasphemy,  the  girl's 
spirit  took  fire. 

"  I  do  not.  It  is  our  duty  not  to  curse,  but  to 
bless." 

"  Are  you  wiser  than  our  fathers  and  the  prophets 
who  were  wont  to  curse  the  enemies  of  the  faith  .^  " 

"  They  belonged  to  a  covenant  that  is  past.  Be- 
sides, even  they  did  not  curse  the  dead." 

"  Then  curse  we  the  living !  "  cried  Simeon  angrily. 
"  Cursed  be  the  whole  tribe  of  Christians !  Do  you 
say  '  Amen  '  to  that .?  " 

"  In  doing  so  I  should  be  cursing  myself." 

From  the  age  of  twelve,  her  time  of  joining  the 
synagogue,  Vashti,  by  reason  of  the  sweetness  of  her 
disposition  and  of  her  liberality  in  alms-giving,  had  won 
the  favor  of  the  whole  congregation.  But  now,  all  in 
a  moment,  that  favor  was  withdrawn.  Jewish  bigotry 
asserted  itself.     The  knowledge  that  she  had  become  a 


100  The  Boomed  City 

Christian   converted  friends  into   enemies.      She   found 
herself  surrounded  by  dark  and  scowling  faces. 

"  Judgment ! "  cried  Sadas,  the  man  who  had  ac- 
cused her ;  and  a  hundred  voices  took  up  the  cry, 
"  Judgment ! " 

In  the  Hebrew  word  for  synagogue — Beth-din,  or 
House  of  Judgment — is  expressed  one  of  its  peculiari- 
ties ;  besides  being  a  place  of  worship,  the  synagogue 
was  also — and  this  with  the  sanction  of  the  Romans 
themselves — a  judicial  court  for  the  trial  of  such  of- 
fenders as  were  accused  of  violating  the  precepts  of 
Judaism. 

"  Let  the  damsel  be  brought  hither,"  said  Simeon  in 
cold  judicial  tones. 

The  many  hands  put  forth  to  push  her  forward  were 
needless ;  of  her  own  free  will  she  walked  from  her  place 
to  the  front  of  the  congregation. 

Her  girlish  figure  standing  all  alone  before  the  crowd 
of  wrathful  spectators  failed  to  elicit  their  sympathy ; 
the  gray-haired  elders,  who  were  her  judges,  had  like- 
wise hearts  of  marble ;  neither  youth  nor  beauty  had 
power  to  influence  them  in  the  matter  of  a  person  apos- 
tatizing to  the  hateful  creed  of  the  Nazarenes. 

*'  Damsel,"  said  Simeon,  "  we  require  no  witnesses  of 
thy  guilt.  Out  of  thine  own  mouth  thou  standest  con- 
demned as  being  a  Christian.  Yet  are  we  minded  to 
give  thee  time  for  reflection.  Thou  mayest,  if  thou 
wilt,  withdraw  thy  statement." 

"  I  cannot  withdraw  the  statement,  for  it  is  true.  I 
am  a  Christian." 

Fierce  cries  broke  forth  from  the  assembly :  "  Trait- 
ress !  Apostate  !  Nazarene  !  " 

"  How  long  hast  thou  been  a  Christian.''  " 

"  'Tis  a  matter  of  a  few  weeks  only." 

"  You  have  received  the  baptism  prescribed  by  this 
heresy.''  " 

Vashti  signified  assent. 
\     "  Who  was  he  that  baptized  thee .''  " 


What  Happened  in  the  Royal  Synagogue    101 

"  I  may  not  name  him." 

"Doth  our  city  contain  many  of  this  faith?" 

"  Very  many." 

"  Name  some,"  commanded  Simeon.  This  he  said, 
not  believing  that  she  would  do  so,  but  knowing  that 
her  refusal  would  add  to  the  wrath  of  the  assembly. 

"  Even  among  the  heathen  to  betray  one's  friends 
is  counted  base.  How  much  more,  then,  among  Chris- 
tians ?  " 

"  By  revealing  their  names  you  will  be  doing  much 
towards  redeeming  yourself  from  the  punishment  that 
otherwise  will  most  surely  come  upon  you." 

"  Not  even  to  redeem  myself  from  death  will  I  betray 
my  friends." 

"  Come,  girl,  be  not  obstinate.  Who  were  they  that 
persuaded  you  to  adopt  Christianity.''  " 

"  The  Law  and  the  Prophets  chiefly." 

"  You  blaspheme." 

"  Nay,  give  me  leave  to  speak,  and  I  will  show  you 
that  our  so-called  new  faith  is  but  the  fulfillment  and 
and  completion  of  the  old." 

"  This  damsel  resembles  her  master  Paul,"  sneered 
Agrippa.  "  With  a  little  talking  she  thinks  to  make 
us  Christians." 

Simeon,  seeking  to  prejudice  her  still  more  in  the 
opinion  of  the  narrow-minded  Jews,  to  whom  all  Gentile 
learning  was  an  abomination,  continued: 

"  You  have  given  much  time  to  the  study  of  the 
Greek  writings.''  " 

"  As  did  your  father  Gamaliel,"  was  the  quiet  reply. 
"  If  it  were  a  virtue  in  him,  why  seek  to  make  it  a  fault 
in  me?  " 

"  Hear,  O  Israel,"  said  Simeon,  addressing  the  as- 
sembly, "  in  my  father's  school  were  a  thousand  stu- 
dents, of  whom  five  hundred  studied  the  wisdom  that 
is  in  the  Law ;  and  to-day  they  are  all  living,  and 
held  in  honor.  And  there  were  five  hundred  who  studied 
the  Grecian  vanities,  and  to-day  there  is  not  one  of 


102  The  Boomed  City 

them  alive." '  He  paused  for  a  moment,  and  then  put 
the  customary   question: 

"Can  anyone  here  present  show  just  cause  why  pun- 
ishment should  not  be  inflicted  upon  Vashti,  daughter 
of  Hyrcanus?  " 

Vashti  looked  round  upon  the  assembly,  but  in  the 
words  of  the  Psalmist  she  had  become  a  stranger  to 
her  brethren,  an  alien  among  her  mother's  children. 
There  was  none  that  would  speak  a  good  word  for 
her. 

"  There  are  two  persons  here,"  said  Vashti,  "  who 
can  testify,  if  they  would,  that  my  change  of  creed 
is  not  deserving  of  punishment." 

"  Who  are  these  witnesses .?  " 

"  King  Agrippa  for  one." 

That  monarch,  upon  hearing  himself  appealed  to, 
regarded  Vashti  with  a  languid  and  scornful  gaze. 

"  Thou  callest  upon  me  to  testify  in  thy  favor.''  " 

"  O  king,  after  Paul  of  Tarsus  had  set  forth  his 
tenets  before  your  tribunal,  did  you  not  say,  '  This 
man  doeth  nothing  worthy  of  death  or  of  bonds  ^?  My 
faith  is  but  the  same  with  his.  Since  you  pronounced 
him  innocent,  how  can  you  declare  me  guilty?  " 

These  words  put  the  king  in  a  very  awkward  di- 
lemma. Deny  them  he  could  not ;  to  confirm  them  would 
be  equivalent  to  a  declaration  of  her  innocence.  He 
shrugged  his  shoulders,  and,  like  the  coward  that  he 
was,  took  refuge  in  silence. 

"  And  who  is  the  other  witness.?  "  asked  Simeon,  after 
a  very  awkward  pause. 

"  Yourself,"  replied  Vashti.  "  Will  you  not  plead 
for  me,  you  whose  grandsire  Simeon  held  the  infant 
Jesus  in  his  arms,  calling  him  '  The  glory  of  the  people 
of  Israel '  ? — you,  whose  sire  Gamaliel,  speaking  of  the 
apostles  of  Christ,  said,  '  Refrain  from  these  men,  and 
let  them  alone  '  ?  " 

Simeon's  face  darkened,  and  he  turned  away.  Every 
word  spoken  by  Vashti  did  but  increase  the  wrath  of 


What  Happened  in  the  Royal  Synagogue    103 

her  judges,  who  wanted,  not  argument,  but  submission 
and  recantation. 

No  more  questions  were  asked.  The  council,  drawing 
together,  conferred  in  whispers  around  the  chairs  of 
Agrippa  and  Berenice. 

Having  agreed  in  their  verdict,  the  judges  returned 
to  their  seats — all  save  one,  a  noble  and  gentle-looking 
elder,  who  said  with  a  ring  of  indignation  in  his  voice: 

"  I  protest !  " 

But  his  protest  availed  nothing.  Unable  to  save 
Vashti  or  to  bear  the  sight  of  her  punishment,  he  walked 
from  the  S3magogue  amid  the  somewhat  angry  murmurs 
of  the  assembly. 

"Who  is  he?"  asked  Crispus. 

"  Johanan  ben  Zacchai,  wisest  and  best  of  the  rabbis. 
Though  he  himself  is  an  orthodox  Pharisee,  his  father 
Zacchai,  or — to  Grecize  the  name — Zacchjeus,  a  wealthy 
publican  of  Jericho,  is  said  to  have  been  a  secret  Chris- 
tian. Hence  his  sympathy  for  poor  Vashti.  Are  you 
going  to  intervene  on  her  behalf.''  " 

"  Anon.  Let  us  first  see  what  her  punishment  is  to 
be." 

Simeon  now  rose  to  pronounce  judgment. 

"  Vashti,  daughter  of  Hyrcanus,  your  punishment  is 
a  twofold  one ;  you  will  receive  forty  lashes  save  one, 
and  you  will  be  shorn  of  your  tresses." 

The  vindictive  character  of  the  sentence  set  Crispus' 
blood  on  fire.  "  To  be  shorn  of  her  tresses?  "  he  mur- 
mured. "  Such  a  suggestion  as  that  could  proceed  only 
from  a  woman's  mind.  Princess  Berenice,  your  hand 
is  in  this." 

Vashti,  on  hearing  her  doom,  swayed,  and  would  have 
fallen  to  the  ground  but  for  the  officers  who  supported 
her  on  each  side.  She  had  expected  some  such  penalty 
as  the  payment  of  a  fine,  or  excommunication  from 
the  synagogue.  But  the  loss  of  her  hair — the  glory 
of  a  woman !  And  scourging!  The  mere  physical  pain 
of  this  last  was  as  nothing  in  her  eyes  compared  with 


104  The  Boomed  City 

the  horror  of  being  stripped  to  the  waist  in  the  sight 
of  all  the  congregation. 

A  mist  swam  before  her  eyes ;  her  face,  pale  before, 
now  became  deathly  white ;  she  tried  to  speak,  but  her 
tongue  failed  her. 

Looking  for  all  the  world  like  one  insane,  she  turned 
her  swimming  gaze  upon  the  assembly,  but  saw  no  pity 
in  their  set  faces.  What  punishment  could  be  too 
severe  for  a  Nazarene.''  Nay,  verily,  let  her  be  thank- 
ful that  her  doom  was  not  stoning,  as  it  assuredly  would 
have  been  but  for  the  humiliating  fact  that  the  death 
penalty  required  the  sanction  of  the  hateful  governor, 
Florus. 

And  now  appeared  the  executioner  carrying  the 
dreadful  whip,  a  wooden  shaft  with  three  long  ox-hide 
thongs,  thirteen  strokes  from  which  made  the  conven- 
tional thirty-nine  stripes.  The  Law  allowed  forty,  but 
the  Jews,  affecting  to  be  merciful,  diminished  that  num- 
ber by  one. 

"  Pull  off  her  garment,  and  bind  her  to  the  Red 
Column." 

At  these  dreadful  words  Vashti,  rendered  strong  by 
agony,  broke  from  her  guards,  and  moving  swiftly 
forward  fell  on  her  knees  before  Berenice. 

"  Princess,  you  are  a  woman.  Have  pity  on  me.  If 
I  must  be  scourged  let  me — let  me  retain  my  vesture." 

The  two  officers  who  had  followed  Vashti  fell  back 
at  a  sign  from  Berenice.  Bending  forward  from  her 
seat,  she  said  in  a  whisper: 

"  My  hour  of  triumph  now.  It  was  yours  at 
CcEsarea." 

At  her  chilling  tone  Vashti  shrank  back.  Her  eyes 
became  big  with  horror  as  the  truth  suddenly  flashed 
upon  her  that  the  whole  synagogue  proceeding  was  a 
plot,  formed  by  the  jealousy  of  Berenice,  who  feared 
that  Vashti  was  seeking  to  win  the  love  of  Crispus. 
Suspecting  her  to  be  a  Christian,  she  had  induced 
Simeon  to  compose  the  new  prayer,  purposing  by  this 


What  Happened  in  the  Royal  Synagogue    105 

means  to  wreak  her  vengeance  upon  the  girl  whose 
beauty  had  been  preferred  to  her  own. 

This  sudden  revelation  of  the  character  of  the  prin- 
cess, the  subtlety  of  her  plot,  the  wickedness  of  masking 
it  under  the  guise  of  religion,  came  upon  Vashti  with 
a  shock  so  great  as  almost  to  drive  the  scourging  from 
her  mind.  For  the  moment  her  only  thought  was,  how 
could  the  princess  be  so  wicked? 

"  Officers,  the  lash ! "  said  Berenice,  spurning  the 
suppliant  girl  with  her  foot. 

"  Hold,  let  the  maiden  be !  "  cried  a  voice  coming 
from  the  rear  of  the  synagogue. 

There  was  a  great  start  on  the  part  of  Berenice, 
who  knew  not  till  then  that  Crispus  was  in  the  syna- 
gogue. 

Vashti  started,  but  it  was  with  joy.  Gone  in  a 
moment  was  her  sense  of  fear.  She  turned  her  eyes 
from  the  two  men  who  held  her  to  the  stately  figure  of 
the  Roman  stalking  up  the  floor  of  the  synagogue, 
determination  written  upon  his  countenance.  Her 
trusting  and  beautiful  smile  set  Berenice's  heart  thrill- 
ing with  pangs  of  jealousy  impossible  to  describe.  Her 
plot  for  the  humiliation  of  Vashti  seemed  likely  to 
end  in  creating  another  link  of  sympathy  between  the 
two  whom  she  would  fain  keep  apart. 

Amid  a  death-like  silence  Crispus,  followed  by  the 
faithful  Rufus,  made  his  way  to  the  front.  There 
was  in  his  cold  eye  a  gleam  that  caused  the  two  officers 
to  let  go  Vashti,  who,  released  from  their  hold,  would 
have  fallen  but  for  the  supporting  arm  of  Crispus. 

He  turned  to  face  the  angry  assembly,  who  were 
beginning  to  murmur  at  seeing  the  hateful  "  apostate  " 
snatched  from  their  hands  by  an  authority  equally  hate- 
ful. A  stranger  in  Jerusalem,  Crispus  was  unknown 
both  to  the  congregation  and  to  Agrippa,  which  last 
took  him  to  be  some  meddlesome  officer  from  Antonia, 
bent  on  exercising  an  authority  to  which  he  had  no 
claim. 


106  The  Doomed  City 

He  started  to  his  feet  with  an  angry  air. 

"  Who  is  this  that  seeks  to  interfere  with  the  course 
of  Jewish  justice?  Know  you  not  that  I  am  Agrippa, 
the  great  king?     Who   art   thou?  " 

"  My  friend,"  said  Rufus  quietly,  "  is  Crispus  Ces- 
tius,  son  of  the  Syrian  Legate,  a  maker  of  kings,  and 
— an  unmaker." 

This  answer  completely  confounded  Agrippa.  He 
recognized  the  wisdom  of  becoming  immediately  humble. 
The  authority  of  the  Propraetor  of  Syria,  the  Ruler  of 
the  East,  soared  far  above  that  of  Judaean  procurators 
and  Herodian  kings.  A  hint  from  him  to  the  Roman 
Senate  that  Agrippa  was  unworthy  of  his  post  would 
be  quite  sufficient  to  deprive  him  of  his  crown.  Smooth- 
ing his  brows,  and  assuming  a  smile  that  in  no  way 
harmonized  with  his  inward  feelings,  he  said: 

"  And  what  would  the  noble  Crispus  have  of  us?  " 

"  The  release  of  this  maiden." 

The  politic  Agrippa,  on  the  point  of  granting  the 
request,  was  stayed  by  his  more  strong-minded  sister, 
who  was  not  disposed  to  let  the  captive  go  without  at 
least  a  protest. 

"By  whose  authority  do  you  make  this  demand?" 

"  By  that  of  the  Legate  of  Syria." 

"  Will  you  let  us  see  in  the  Legate's  own  handwriting 
the  order  for  the  release  of  Vashti,  daughter  of  Hyr- 
canus?"  said  Berenice,  sarcastically. 

"  He  acts  by  me,  his  secretary  and  deputy." 

"How  know  we  that  he  will  confirm  your  act?  " 

"  Should  he  refuse  to  do  so  I  will  restore  the  maiden 
to  your  hands,"  said  Crispus,  who  knew  that  he  was 
quite  safe  in  giving  this  pledge. 

Taking  courage  by  his  sister's  example,  Agrippa 
now  ventured  upon  a  mild  protest. 

"  But,  noble  Crispus,  you  are  infringing  Jewish 
rights.  The  Legate  hath  no  jurisdiction  over  the  in- 
ternal affairs  of  our  synagogues." 

Crispus  gave  a  disdainful  smile. 


What  Happened  in  the  Royal  Synagogue    107 

"  The  authority  of  Cestius  Gallus  is  supreme  over 
every  matter,  small  or  great,  within  the  province  of 
Syria;  he  has  power  to  reverse  any  judicial  sentence, 
whether  of  basihca  or  synagogue,  that  he  deems  un- 
just, as  he  will  certainly  deem  this  to  be  when  it  comes 
to  his  hearing.  Do  you  question  his  authority,  O 
king?  " 

Berenice  answered  for  her  brother. 

"  It  is  not  to  be  doubted,"  said  she,  "  that  a  fond 
father  will  ratify  the  action  of  a  foolish  son.  Pro- 
nounce the  damsel  free,  Agrippa.  Ca?sar  at  Rome  may 
burn  Christians  alive,  but  we  of  Judsea  must  not  even 
whip  them.  The  great  Crispus  forbids  it."  And  gath- 
ering her  robe  around  her  she  swept  out  with  a  proud 
and  scornful  air. 

The  two  Romans — no  man  daring  to  stay  them — 
proceeded  to  remove  the  trembling  Vashti  from  the 
synagogue,  and,  attended  by  the  decurion  Quintus,  they 
conducted  her  to  the  gate  of  her  house  in  the  street 
of  Millo. 

"  So,  Vashti,  you  are  a  Christian  ?  "  said  Crispus. 
"I  think  I  understand  now  the  allusion  in  the  poet 
Bianor,  '  By  the  Fish  we  are  saved.'  " 

She  smiled,  pleased  to  think  that  he  had  remembered 
her  words. 

"Under  the  name  of  'The  Fish,'"  said  she,  "we 
symbolize  our  Divine  Master,  who  leads  us  through  the 
waters  of  baptism." 

As  she  spoke — they  were  standing  at  the  time  within 
the  gateway  of  her  dwelling — their  ears  were  caught 
by  the  tread  of  numerous  feet  accompanied  by  fierce 
cries,  and  looking  whence  these  sounds  proceeded  they 
saw,  coming  at  a  quick  pace  and  with  faces  expressive 
of  the  wildest  excitement,  a  mob  of  Jews,  some  carry- 
ing steel  weapons  and  others  wooden  clubs. 

In  a  moment  the  three  Romans  sprang  within  the 
stone  passage,  dragging  Vashti  with  them,  and  closed 
and  barred  the  gate. 


108  The  Boomed  City 

They  soon  discovered,  however,  that  they  were  not 
the  objects  of  attack;  it  was  doubtful  whether  they 
had  even  been  seen.  Like  the  rush  of  a  whirlwind  the 
crowd  swept  past  the  gateway,  rending  the  air  with 
their  cries. 

Similar  sounds,  proceeding  from  the  adjacent  streets, 
showed  that  these  also  were  being  traversed  by  excited 
throngs. 

"  Down  with  Florus  !  "  shouted  some. 

"  That's  a  saying  with  which  I  can  very  well  sympa- 
thize," said  Rufus. 

"  Death  to  the  Romans !  "  cried  others. 

*'  Ha !  that's  a  different  matter.  That  touches  you 
and  me,"  he  continued,  addressing  Crispus. 

"  The  temple  of  the  Lord !  The  temple  of  the  Lord ! 
Sacrilege !     Sacrilege !  " 

Successive  waves  of  people  rolled  along  the  street, 
voluble  women  among  them,  dragging  their  slow-mov- 
ing children  by  the  hand.  Their  fragmentary  talk 
soon  enabled  the  listening  Romans  to  gather  the  cause 
of  all  this  excitement. 

Florus  had  sent  to  Agrippa  demanding  seventeen 
talents  from  the  Corban,  saying  that  he  wanted  them 
for  Cffisar. 

The  Jewish  mind  was  fired  to  wrath  not  so  much  by 
the  amount  itself — which  was  rather  a  small  one  for 
a  man  of  Florus'  rapacity,  the  sum  being  about  £6,000 
in  modern  English  currency — but  by  the  fact  that  the 
demand  was  made  upon  the  Corban  or  Temple  treas- 
ury. The  gold  deposited  there  was  regarded  as  sacred 
to  Jehovah,  to  be  used  only  in  His  service ;  the  diverting 
of  even  a  single  shekel  of  it  to  any  other  purpose  was, 
in  the  eyes  of  the  frenzied  Jew,  one  of  the  greatest 
of  crimes.  It  would  be  a  crime  if  committed  by  the 
high  priest  himself;  but  when  the  demand  came  from 
a  heathen,  unclean,  uncircumcized,  rapacious,  whose  ob- 
ject, as  all  well  knew,  was  not  to  transmit  the  money 
to  C<esar  but  to  spend  it  upon  his  own  sensual  pleas- 


What  Happened  in  the  Royal  Synagogue    109 

ures,  it  was  no  wonder  that  the  contemplated  profana- 
tion should  fire  the  blood  of  every  Jew,  and  send  him 
running  with  all  haste  to  prevent  the  sacrilegious  deed. 

"  It  is  as  I  have  said,"  whispered  Rufus  to  Crispus. 
"  Florus  is  purposely  trying  to  create  a  revolt." 

"  Vain  is  it  for  Rome  to  boast  of  her  justice,"  sighed 
Crispus,  "  when  she  sends  forth  governors  such  as 
Florus." 

"  If  there  be  an  uproar  in  the  temple,"  continued 
Rufus,  "  it  is  my  duty  to  quell  it." 

As  soon  as  the  street  of  Millo  had  become  compara- 
tively quiet  the  three  Romans  stole  forth,  taking  a 
wide  circuit  so  as  to  arrive  upon  the  north  side  of 
Antonia,  the  side  farthest  from  the  temple. 

On  their  way  they  encountered  a  company  of  youth- 
ful and  richly-dressed  Jews,  who,  basket  on  arm,  in 
imitation  of  beggars,  were  soliciting  alms  by  way  of 
casting  ridicule  upon  the  procurator. 

"  Give  an  obolus  for  Florus,  he  is  so  poor ! "  they 
whined  in  a  mocking  voice. 

"  Woe  to  them  if  Florus  gets  to  hear  of  it ! "  mut- 
tered Rufus. 

On  arriving  at  the  Turris  Antonia  he  found  that  his 
centurions  had  taken  all  precautions  for  the  safety  of 
the  fortress.  Upon  the  roof  of  the  cloisters  facing 
the  bridge  that  connected  the  fortress  with  the  temple, 
fhe  Italian  Cohort  was  drawn  up  in  all  the  glittering 
panoply  of  war,  their  silence  and  discipline  presenting 
a  striking  contrast  to  the  tumult  and  disorder  that  was 
raging  not  many  yards  distant. 

The  temple-courts  were  filled  with  a  crowd  so  num- 
erous that  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole  city  must  have 
assembled  there.  To  the  mind  of  Crispus  with  his 
Roman  love  of  order  there  was  something  peculiarly 
repulsive  in  the  spectacle  before  him.  It  was  an  Orien- 
tal mob,  and  like  all  Oriental  mobs  when  inflamed  with 
rage,  its  units  behaved  like  frenzied  demons.  They 
spat  towards  the  Romans ;  they  tossed  their  garments ; 


110  The  Doomed  City 

they  shook  their  fists ;  thej  yelled  out  curses ;  they  cast 
dust  into  the  air. 

The  wilder  spirits  among  them  took  to  flinging 
stones,  the  rattle  of  which,  falling  upon  the  brazen 
armor  of  the  soldiery,  was  audible  above  the  tumult 
of  voices ;  of  all  which  the  superbly  disciplined  Roman 
troops  took  no  more  heed  than  a  man  takes  of  gnats 
on  a  summer  eve. 

Rufus,  advancing  to  the  head  of  the  stairs  that 
descended  to  the  temple-court,  lifted  his  hand.  The 
sign  was  perceived  and  understood,  but  it  was  some 
time  ere  the  crowd  quieted  down  to  a  listening  mood. 

Standing  upon  the  very  place  where,  eight  years 
previously.  Saint  Paul  had  addressed  a  raging  mob, 
and  speaking  in  the  same  language — the  Syro-Chaldaic 
— Rufus  sought  to  pacify  the  fears  of  the  multitude. 

Florus,  it  seemed,  had  demanded  seventeen  talents 
to  be  taken  from  the  Corban.  He — Rufus — was  not 
prepared  to  say  that  the  Jews  were  wrong  in  resenting 
this  demand ;  as  the  servant  of  Florus  it  was  not  his 
business  to  criticise  the  actions  of  his  master,  but  the 
Jews  were  certainly  wrong  in  their  way  of  showing 
their  disapproval.  The  lawful  method  was  to  dispatch 
an  embassy  to  Florus  to  state  why  they  considered 
the  demand  unreasonable.  Let  them  do  so  without 
delay.  If  they  were  now  assembling  under  the  belief 
that  he — Rufus — was  going  to  invade  their  sanctuary 
for  the  purpose  of  seizing  the  seventeen  talents  they 
were  in  error ;  he  had  not  received  any  such  order  from 
Florus,  and  till  such  order  came  he  would  be  en- 
dangering his  own  head  if  he  should  venture  to  fore- 
stall the  will  of  the  procurator.  They  could,  therefore, 
depart  quietly  to  their  homes  in  the  full  assurance  that 
their  treasures  would  remain  untouched  for  that  day, 
at  least,  and  probably  for  several  days  to  come.  As 
to  what  might  ultimately  happen,  well,  it  was  not  wise 
to  anticipate  evil. 

Rufus  had  scarcely  made  an  end  of  speaking  when 


What  Happened  in  the  Royal  Synagogue    111 

on  the  still  air  rose  the  chiming  of  the  silver  trumpets, 
blown  bj  the  priests  as  a  signal  that  the  hour  had  come 
for  the  closing  of  the  temple. 

The  crowd  murmured,  hesitated,  but  finally  departed 
m  peaceful  fashion,  and  the  great  temple-courts  were 
left  to  silence. 


CHAPTER  IX 

"  LET  US  GO  HENCE  !  " 

It  was  the  evening  of  Crispus'  first  day  in  Jerusalem, 
and  Rufus,  who,  as  the  Roman  overlord  of  the  terriple, 
had  free  access  to  its  outer  courts  during  any  hour 
of  the  day  or  night,  now  suggested  a  quiet  and  con- 
templative walk  around  its  cloisters. 

"  Come !  "  said  he,  "  and  I  will  show  you  the  strong- 
est  FORTRESS   IN    THE    WORLD  !  " 

By  the  glorious  light  of  an  Eastern  moon,  that  sil- 
vered the  sleeping  city  and  the  peaceful  hills  around 
it,  the  two  Romans  crossed  the  arch  connecting  the 
fortress  Antonia  with  the  northern  side  of  the  Temple 
Hill,  the  hill  anciently  known  by  the  name  of  Mount 
Moriah. 

They  descended  a  flight  of  stairs  and  entered  the 
northern  cloister  of  the  temple,  a  cloister  divided  into 
two  long  aisles  by  lines  of  marble  columns,  forty  feet 
in  height,  and  formed  of  marble,  beautifully  polished. 

"  Each  of  these  columns,"  remarked  Rufus,  "  con- 
sists of  a  single  block." 

The  roof  of  the  cloister  was  of  cedar,  curiously 
graven,  and  the  pavement  a  mosaic  of  many  colors. 

This  magnificent  colonnade  was  reared  upon  the  very 
edge  of  the  scarped  cliff,  and  extended  in  a  direct  line 
east  and  west  for  a  length  of  more  than  one  thousand 
feet. 

"  The  temple-platform,"  observed  Rufus,  "  as  you 
will  see,  after  having  gone  round  it,  forms  an  irregular 
quadrangle,  and  occupies  the  flat  summit  of  a  pre- 
cipitous rock.  We'll  inspect  all  four  sides  in  turn. 
First,  what  think  you  of  this,  the  northern  side.?  " 

113 


"Let  Us  Go  Hence!"  113 

Crispus  turned  his  eyes  upon  Antonia,  frowning 
white  in  the  moonlight  from  the  other  side  of  the 
ravine. 

"  Throw  down  that  arch,"  said  he,  "  and  you  make 
this  side  of  the  temple  practically  unassailable,  and — ■ 
but  whom  have  we  here  ?  "  he  added,  breaking  off  sud- 
denly. 

Slowly  making  their  way  along  the  cloister  came 
a  band  of  men  clothed  in  semi-military  garb,  and  bear- 
ing spears.  A  few  carried  torches,  whose  yellow  glare 
was  reflected  from  the  polished  surface  of  column  and 
pavement. 

"  Be  it  known  to  you,"  said  Rufus,  "  that  the  temple 
has  tiDo  captains,  Roman  and  Jewish.  While  it  is  my 
duty  from  Antonia  to  keep  watch  over  the  temple,  it 
is  the  dutj^  of  yon  officer  to  keep  watch  zcithin  it.  This 
is  the  Levitical  guard  going  its  round.  Woe  to  the 
sentinel  whom  they  find  asleep.  They'll  beat  him  with 
clubs,  or  wake  him  by  setting  fire  to  his  clothing." 

"  Who  is  the  fierce-looking  hero  marching  at  their 
head.?" 

"  That,  my  dear  Crispus,  is  the  rival  captain  of  the 
temple,  Eleazar,  son  of  the  ex-high  priest  Ananias, 
whom  you  have  already  seen  at  Csesarea.  Betwixt 
father  and  son  is  open  war.  Ananias,  suave  and  polite, 
courts  the  good  graces  of  the  Romans ;  Eleazar,  sullen 
and  fierce,  boasts  his  hatred  of  us.  He  is  said  to  be 
secretly  leagued  with  Zealot  banditti,  and  to  have 
known  more  than  he  ought  of  the  doings  of  Simon 
the  Black.  Indeed,  Quintus  is  of  opinion  that  the  fugi- 
tive Zealot,  with  the  connivance  of  Eleazar,  is  at  the 
present  moment  hiding  within  the  sanctuary.  If  so, 
he  is  secure  from  arrest,  for  Cassar  himself  may  not 
enter  there.  So  deep  a  scorn  hath  this  Eleazar  for 
Romans  that  he  refuses  to  return  their  salutations.  Be 
thyself  a  witness." 

The  Levitical  guard  had  by  this  time  reached  the 
place  where  the  two  Romans  were  standing. 


114  The  Doomed  City 

"  Peace  to  you,  Eleazar,"  said  Rufus,  raising  his 
hand  in  salute. 

But  the  Jewish  captain  marched  past  at  the  head 
of  his  guard,  taking  no  notice  whatever  of  the  Roman. 

Rufus   laughed  with  good-humored   contempt. 

"  What  did  I  tell  you.?  "  said  he  to  Crispus.  "  That 
was  not  well  done,  Eleazar,"  he  called  out  after  the 
receding  figure.  "  Johanan  ben  Zacchai  makes  it  his 
boast  ^^  that  he  never  yet  let  Gentile  forestall  him  in 
giving  the  salaam." 

Speaking  thus,  Rufus  led  the  way  to  the  eastern 
cloister,  which,  extending  in  an  even  line  due  north 
and  south,  formed  the  second  side  of  the  irregular 
square. 

"  Now  here  we  have  a  truly  Titanic  work,"  he  said. 
"  When  the  temple  was  first  planned  by  an  ancient  king 
called  Solomon,  he  found  the  summit  of  the  hill  too 
small  for  his  architectural  ideas,  so  what  did  he  do 
but  rear  a  wall  sheer  up  from  the  valley  below  till  it 
was  on  a  level  with  the  top  of  the  mount;  the  vacancy 
betwixt  the  wall  and  the  mount  was  then  filled  in  with 
earth  and  stone,  and  on  the  esplanade  thus  formed  was 
built  this  grand  colonnade,  which  we  now  see ;  hence  its 
name,  Solomon's  Colonnade.  From  the  summit  of  yon 
pinnacle  at  the  southeast  corner  the  plumb-line  falls 
a  sheer  descent  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet — at  least 
so  say  the  priests  who  have  measured  it.  Cast  your 
eye  downward,  and  mark  the  depth !  " 

As  Crispus  leaned  far  over  the  stone  balustrade,  and 
ran  his  eye  first  to  the  right  and  then  to  the  left  along 
the  vast  mass  of  masonry,  rising  vertically  in  mid-air, 
he  muttered :  "  The  gods  themselves  would  not  dare 
attack  the  temple  from  this  side." 

Far  down,  scarcely  visible,  glinted  a  slender  line  of 
water. 

"  The  brook  Cedron,"  said  Rufus,  "  flowing  to-day, 
dry  in  summer.  The  name  Cedron,  or  Black,  is  justly 
deserved,  for  into  the  rivulet  flows  the  black  blood  of 


''Let  Us  Go  Hence!"  115 

the  daily  sacrifices  conducted  thither  by  channels  bored 
through  the  solid  rock." 

"  How  name  you  yon  fair  hill  in  front  of  us  ?  " 

"  The  Mount  of  Olives,  so  called  from  its  trees. 
Come,  view  we  now  the  third  side." 

They  passed  on  to  the  southern  cloister,  which,  like 
the  eastern,  was  built  upon  a  vast  substructure  of 
masonry  rising  in  massive  grandeur  from  the  valley 
below. 

"  This,"  said  Rufus,  "  bears  the  name  of  the  Royal 
Colonnade,  as  being  the  grandest  of  all,  for  whereas 
the  other  cloisters  have  but  two  rows  of  pillars,  this 
has  four.  And  mark  them !  Each  column  is  a  mono- 
lith, fifty  feet  in  height,  and  as  to  its  thickness,  three 
men  with  joined  hands  can  scarcely  encircle  it." 

This  Royal  Colonnade,  open  on  the  side  towards  the 
temple,  was  closed  upon  the  other  by  a  wall.  The  two, 
therefore,  mounted  a  staircase  and  walked  along  its' 
roof. 

"  Those  houses  whose  roofs  you  see  beneath  us  ex- 
tending far  to  the  southward,  form  the  suburb  of 
Ophel,  the  residence  of  the  priests  and  their  servants, 
the  Levites  and  Nethinim,  whose  duty  necessitates  their 
living  near  the  temple." 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  muttered  Crispus,  as  he  gazed 
downwards,  "  that  he  would  be  a  bold  general  who  would 
venture  to  make  his  attack  from  the  south  side." 

Walking  onward,  they  came  to  the  last,  or  western 
cloister,  whose  edge  overhung  the  ravine  known  as  the 
Valley  of  Tyropaeon,  a  deep  cleft  that  completely  sev- 
ered the  temple-mount  both  from  Acra  or  the  Lower 
City,  which  lay  due  west,  and  from  Zion  or  the  Upper 
City,  which  lay  to  the  southwest. 

The  temple-hill  and  Mount  Zion  were  joined  by  a 
stone  bridge,  a  magnificent  structure,  being  in  length 
354  feet,  and  having  a  roadway  50  feet  broad;  in 
the  center  the  depth  of  the  valley  beneath  was  225 
feet! 


116  The  Doomed  City 

"  Well,  what  think  you  of  this — the  fourth  side  ?  " 

"  Destroy  the  bridge,  and  you  make  this  part  of 
the  temple  inaccessible." 

"  Yet  this  was  the  side — there  was  no  bridge  then — 
that  our  great  Pompey  successfully  stormed." 

"  It  speaks  ill  for  the  skill  of  the  defenders." 

"  But  well  for  the  courage  of  the  Romans — eh .''  But 
I  doubt  whether  even  Pompey  would  have  carried  his 
assault  had  not  Jewish  superstition  favored  him." 

"  In  what  way.''  " 

"  He  was  told  that  the  JeAvs  had  such  reverence  for 
the  Sabbath  that  they  would  not  fight  on  that  day  un- 
less actually  attacked.  He  therefore  spent  every  Sab- 
bath in  raising  huge  mounds,  and  the  rest  of  the  week 
in  guarding  them ;  at  the  end  of  twelve  months  he  made 
his  triumphal  attack." 

"  Would  the  Jews  again  act  so  supinely,  think  you.''  " 

"  I  doubt  it.  Since  then  they  have  seen  the  folly  of 
their  ways." 

Having  walked  all  round  the  colonnades  to  the  point 
whence  they  set  out,  the  two  friends  now  passed  into 
the  spacious  court  open  to  the  sky.  In  the  middle  of 
this  court  rose  the  Sanctuary,  or  the  Temple  properly 
so  called. 

"  It  stands,  if  you  will  believe  the  Jews,  upon  the 
very  center  of  the  earth's  surface,"  remarked  Rufus. 
"  In  the  adytum  the  stone  upon  which  the  high  priest 
deposits  his  censer  upon  the  Day  of  Atonement  is  re- 
garded as  the  navel  of  the  earth." 

Crispus,  approaching  the  edifice  upon  its  north  side, 
experienced  a  strange  thrill  as  he  beheld,  just  as 
it  had  appeared  in  the  dream,  the  golden-latticed 
window  through  which  he  had  flung  the  incendiary 
torch. 

"  Do  you  know,  Rufus,  to  what  room  that  window 
belongs  ?  "  he  asked,  pointing  it  out. 

"  'Tis  one  of  the  windows  of  the  Hall  Gazith,  the 
chamber   in   which  the   Sanhedrim   meet  to   try   those 


''Let  Us  Go  Hence!''  117 

accused  on  a  capital  charge.  Among  others  condemned 
there,  was  the  founder  of  the  sect  of  the  Christians, 
who  worship  their  Master  as  a  god;  though,  methinks, 
if  he  had  aught  of  divinity  in  him  he  should  have 
delivered  himself  from  his  enemies." 

They  walked  round  to  the  east,  the  quarter  that  gave 
them  the  finest  view  of  the  edifice. 

It  was  a  fabric  of  white  marble,  inferior,  doubtless, 
in  point  of  beauty  to  the  graceful  temples  of  Greece, 
but  far  superior  to  them  in  size  and  magnificence ;  and 
as  for  solidity,  Rufus  was  careful  to  point  out  to  the 
wondering  Crispus  that  some  of  the  blocks  composing 
the  external  wall  were  no  less  than  sixty  feet  in 
length ! 

"  A  fortress  within  a  fortress ! "  he  murmured,  view- 
ing the  fabric  with  the  eye  of  a  soldier.  "  He  who  cap- 
tures the  cloisters  has  but  begun  his  work." 

But  the  glories  hidden  within  the  Sanctuary  were 
not  for  the  gaze  of  Gentiles.  Around  the  whole  of  the 
edifice  ran  a  low  marble  balustrade — the  "  middle  wall 
of  partition  " — ^whose  dwarf  pilasters  bore  inscriptions 
in  Greek  and  Latin,  forbidding  the  alien  to  proceed 
further  on  pain  of  death. 

Here  and  there,  as  Crispus  could  see,  half-concealed 
in  the  shadows  of  the  temple-wall,  stood  the  dusky 
forms  of  sentinels,  who,  though  to  all  appearances 
inert,  were  nevertheless  keeping  a  jealous  watch  upon 
the  two  Romans. 

The  floor  of  the  Sanctuary  was  not  upon  the  same 
level  as  the  floor  of  the  Court  of  the  Gentiles,  but 
stood  at  an  altitude  of  twenty-two  feet  above  it,  upon 
the  summit  of  a  solid  platform  of  masonry. 

This  elevation  was  ascended  by  a  stately  flight  of 
stairs  leading  up  to  a  magnificent  pylon,  whose  two- 
fold gate  was  richly  plated  with  Corinthian  bronze, 
a  composite  metal,  more  esteemed  in  that  age  than 
silver  or  gold. 

"  The  Eastern  or  Corinthian  Gate,"  remarked  Rufus. 


118  The  Doomed  City 

Though  access  to  the  temple  was  forbidden  to  the 
Romans,  there  was  not  wanting  even  upon  its  very 
forefront  the  sign  of  the  Roman  dominion. 

Over  this  gateway  was  the  golden  image  of  an  eagle 
with  extended  wings,  a  surprising  sight  in  view  of 
the  Jewish  hatred  of  sculpture, 

"  Placed  there  by  Herod  the  Great  out  of  compli- 
ment to  Augustus,  and  though  many  a  fiery  Zealot 
has  climbed  up  there  with  intent  to  hew  it  down,  our 
procurators  have  determined  to  keep  it  there." 

Having  taken  as  close  a  view  of  the  edifice  as  was 
permissible,  Crispus  drew  back  to  contemplate  it  from 
a  distance. 

He  had  all  a  Roman's  reverence  for  antiquity,  and 
the  thought  that  the  smoke  of  the  daily  sacrifice  had 
ascended  from  this  temple  for  the  space  of  more  than 
a  thousand  years  was  well  adapted  to  impress  his  imagi- 
nation. 

Hallowed  by  the  white  light  of  the  moon,  the  fabric 
rose  with  solemn  and  majestic  air,  the  very  stillness 
resting  upon  it  seeming  to  have  in  it  something  of  the 
divine. 

He  was  tempted  almost  to  believe  in  the  strange 
miracles  said  to  have  occurred  here — above  all  in  the 
permanent  miracle  asserted  by  every  Jew  that  the  dark, 
central  shrine,  curtained  ofF  from  mortal  view,  and 
never  trodden  by  human  foot  save  once  a  year  only, 
was  the  dwelling-place  of  the  deity  himself ! 

A  light  touch  upon  his  arm  ended  this  reverie,  and 
Crispus,  on  turning,  found  himself  looking  into  the 
eyes  of  the  Princess  Berenice — A^ery  lovely  eyes  they 
were,  too ! — yet  in  them  he  fancied  he  could  detect  a 
light  as  of  fear,  due  perhaps  to  the  wild  belief  that 
he  had  come  to  take  a  clandestine  view  of  the  temple 
as  a  preliminary  to  the  flinging  of  the  incendiary 
torch. 

"What  do  you  here,  princess?" 

"  Keeping  watch  upon  you,"  she  said  with  a  laugh 


''Let  Us  Go  Hence!''  119 

that  was  not  all  a  laugh.  "  It  is  my  habit  to  walk  at 
night  in  these  courts." 

Rufus  at  this  juncture  thought  fit  to  slip  quietly 
away,  leaving  the  two  together. 

Crispus  thought  of  the  circumstances  in  which  he 
had  last  seen  the  princess. 

"Why  look  you  so  earnestly  at  me?"  smiled  Bere- 
nice, becoming  conscious  of  a  very  attentive  gaze  on 
his  part. 

"  I  am  wondering,  princess,  why  eyes  so  beautiful 
and  gracious  as  yours  are  now  could  look  so  pitilessly 
upon  poor  Vashti." 

"  My  love  for  my  religion  is  such  that  it  makes  me 
cold,  even  cruel,  to  all  who  oppose  it." 

Her  statement  was  probably  true  in  a  general  sense, 
but  Crispus  doubted  whether  she  had  been  moved  by 
religious  zeal  in  the  case  of  Vashti. 

"  Then  you  must  hate  me,  who  am  likewise  opposed 
to  your  religion  ?  " 

"  Nay,  you  are  not  an  apostate.  You  have  never 
known  the  truth." 

And  then,  as  if  anxious  to  get  away  from  the  syna- 
gogue scene,  in  which  she  was  conscious  that  she  had 
not  appeared  to  advantage  in  Crispus'  eyes,  she  pointed 
to  the  Sanctuary  and  said: 

"Do  you  not  think  it  beautiful.'*" 

"  'Twere  wrong  to  think  otherwise." 

"  Too  beautiful  to  be  wantonly  destroyed,"  she  said 
significantly. 

"  You  see  me  without  the  fatal  torch — as  yet." 

"  As  yet  ?  "  she  repeated,  with  a  touch  of  fear  in 
her  voice.  "  You  are  not — you  are  not  letting  that 
dream  still  hold  a  place  in  your  thoughts?" 

"  Whatever  opposes  Rome  must  be  destroyed,  even 
if  it  be  a  temple." 

"  You  would  destroy  our  temple?  You  cannot,"  she 
said,  speaking  with  a  vehemence  that  surprised,  and 
even  startled  Crispus,  "  you  cannot.     It  is  beyond  the 


120  The  Doomed  City 

power  of  Caesar  and  his  legions.  Let  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth  league  together  for  that  end,  and  they  would 
fail.  The  temple  is  eternal,  and  cannot  be  destroyed, 
for  our  prophets  have  so  assured  us.  The  world  was 
made  for  the  sake  of  the  temple," — she  was  but 
repeating  the  doctrine  of  the  rabbis — "  and  so  long 
as  the  world  shall  stand,  so  long  will  the  temple  stand. 
When  the  last  day  shall  come,"  she  continued,  her  eyes 
shining  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  a  devotee,  "  there 
will  still  be  seen  the  smoke  of  the  sacrifice  ascending 
from  the  altar.  It  is  the  place  loved  of  God,  the  place 
where  He  has  chosen  to  put  His  name  forever." 

So  spoke  Berenice,  and  perhaps  never  in  the  history 
of  the  world  did  words  meet  with  a  rebuke  more  start- 
ling and  more  significant. 

For  scarcely  had  she  finished  speaking  when  there 
rose  upon  the  air  a  mysterious  something  that  caused 
her  to  grasp  the  arm  of  Crispus  with  a  convulsive  start. 

From  the  hidden  interior  of  the  Sanctuary  there 
came  a  sound  that  bore — to  compare  it  with  earthly 
things — some  resemblance  to  the  rising  of  a  wind ;  faint 
at  first,  its  volume  increased,  little  by  little,  till,  issuing 
from  the  Sanctuary,  what  seemed  to  be  a  rush  of  air 
swept  through  the  temple-courts. 

A  wind,  and  yet  no  wind !  It  had  no  effect  upon 
external  objects:  not  a  fold  of  Crispus'  toga  waved; 
not  a  hair  of  the  princess  was  stirred. 

What  was  happening  was  like  nothing  earthly ;  the 
sense  of  a  mysterious  and  unseen  presence  struck  an 
awe  to  the  soul  of  Crispus.  If  he  had  never  before 
believed  in  the  supernatural,  he  believed  in  it  now;  if 
he  had  never  before  felt  fear,  he  felt  it  now.  The  hand 
which  his  first  impulse  had  sent  to  his  sword  dropped 
powerlessly  to  his  side  again.  What  availed  the  might 
of  a  legion,  or  of  ten  thousand  such,  against  invisible 
and  spiritual  powers? 

Terror  had  laid  hold  of  Berenice ;  half -swooning  she 
sank  upon  her  knees,  her  hands  still  clinging  to  the 


''Let  Us  Go  Hence! ''  121 

wrist  of  Crispus ;  but  for  his  detaining  hold  she  would 
have  fallen  prone  upon  the  pavement. 

Closing  her  eyes  as  if  to  shut  out  some  awful  vision 
that  was  about  to  appear,  she  faintly  gasped  with 
blanched  lips :  "  The  bath  col!  " 

She  was  not  alone  in  her  belief.  From  different  parts 
of  the  temple-court  persons,  hitherto  unseen  by  Crispus 
— priests,  Levites,  Nethinim — had  suddenly  started 
into  view,  and  were  gazing  up  at  the  lofty  temple, 
whose  long  and  magnificent  fa9ade  gleamed  like  a  bank 
of  pearl  in  the  moonlight.  And  one  cry  only  broke 
from  their  lips,  to  die  away  in  a  feeling  of  mingled  awe 
and  terror: 

"  THE  BATH  COL !     THE  BATH  COL !  " 

Crispus  was  sufficiently  familiar  with  this  phrase  to 
know  that  it  meant  the  voice  of  the  deity. 

Did  this  "  sound  as  of  a  rushing  mighty  wind " 
really  emanate  from  the  Hebrew  God  who  was  said  to 
ride  upon  the  whirlwind,  and  to  speak  in  the  voice  of 
the  thunder.? 

That  was  the  belief  of  the  Jews  assembled  in  the 
court ;  they  were  about  to  hear  the  awful  voice  that 
had  spoken  to  their  fathers  from  Sinai ! 

Slowly — very  slowly — the  quivering,  continuous  flow 
of  sound  died  away.  For  a  brief  space  there  was  a 
weird  spell  of  silence ;  then  came  a  sudden  clangor, 
startling  by  contrast  with  the  previous  stillness,  a 
clangor  like  that  of  hollow  brass  struck  by  a  giant 
hand. 

All  eyes  turned  instantly  upon  the  Corinthian  Gate 
of  the  Sanctuary.  That  great  gate,  whose  folding- 
doors  of  plated  bronze  were  so  ponderous  as  to  require 
the  united  strength  of  twenty  men  to  turn  them  on 
their  hinges,  was  now  slowly  revolving  inwards  as  if 
yielding  to  some  invisible  pressure  from  without. 

Wider  and  wider  grew  the  space  between  the  two 
doors,  till  at  last  they  had  revolved  so  far  back  that 
they  could  revolve  no  farther. 


122  The  Boomed  City 

The  gate  had  opened  apparently  of  its  own  accord! 

And  now  came  an  awe-inspiring  sequel. 

From  the  interior  of  the  Sanctuary  issued  a  solemn 
voice,  crying  in  the  Hebrew  tongue: 

"  LET  US  GO  HENCE !  "  " 

All  trembled  at  the  sound;  none  more  than  Crispus. 

"  The  voice  that  spoke  in  my  dream !  " 

This  moment  of  supieme  and  thrilling  terror  was 
followed  by  a  sequence  of  sounds  suggestive  of  the  de- 
parture of  a  vast  multitude.  It  seemed  as  if  ten 
thousand  feet  were  descending  the  lofty  stairs  of  the 
Corinthian  Gate,  and  were  treading  the  pavement  of 
the  forecourt.  Yet  neither  shape  nor  shadow  met  the 
gaze  of  the  appalled  and  trembling  Jews,  who  had 
drawn  together  in  one  dense  throng  as  if  for  pro- 
tection against — they  knew  not  what! 

As  for  Crispus,  had  he  wished  to  describe  his  feelings 
at  this  awful  moment  he  might  have  employed  the 
language  of  the  sacred  writer :  "  Fear  came  upon  me 
and  a  trembling  that  made  all  my  bones  to  shake. 
Then  a  spirit  passed  before  my  face ;  it  stood  still, 
but  I  could  not  discern  the  form  thereof !  " 

For  there  was  a  flowing  of  air  past  him,  as  if  some 
long  procession  were  going  by ;  he  could  detect  the 
sound  of  rustling  garments  and  of  sighing  voices ;  yet 
had  his  life  depended  upon  the  action,  he  durst  not 
put  forth  his  hand  to  test  whether  the  unseen  train  that 
was  gliding  past  were  palpable  to  the  touch. 

The  sounds  passed  on,  taking  their  way  through  the 
eastern  cloister ;  and,  mounting  upon  the  wings  of  the 
night,  they  melted  away  in  the  direction  of  Olivet. 

Long,  long  after  the  mysterious  voices  had  ceased, 
the  Jews,  filled  with  a  divine  awe,  stood  speechless  and 
motionless,  as  if  fearful  lest  their  speaking  should 
call  forth  the  wrath  of  departing  deity. 

Among  the  group  was  the  famous  rabbi,  Johanan 
ben  Zacchai.      He  was  the  first  to  find  tongue. 

Pointing  to  the  interior  of  the  Corinthian  gateway, 


*' Let  Us  Go  Hence/"'  123 

with  its  walls  and  roof  fashioned  from   the  cedar  of 
Libanus,  he  cried  in  a  solemn  tone: 

"  The  end  of  the  temple  hath  come,  for  this  is  that 
which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet,  saying,  '  Open  thy 

cedar;  n-?^''""'"'    '''''    '^'    '^^    "^^^    ^-°-    % 
and"trembkd*  ''"''^  "^'*^'"  ^"''""'"^  ^""^'"^  ^*  ^''^'P"' 


CHAPTER  X 


THE  VENGEANCE  OF   FLORUS 


Florus  was  in  Jerusalem,  and — sinister  omen  ! — an 
armed  legion  with  him. 

Following  fast  upon  the  dispatch  of  his  letter  de- 
manding the  seventeen  talents,  he  had  taken  up  his 
abode  in  the  old  palace  erected  by  Herod  the  Great 
upon  Mount  Zion.  This,  as  being  the  usual  residence 
of  the  procurators  while  at  Jerusalem,  had  received  the 
Roman  name  of  Prsetorium. 

Its  two  colossal  wings  of  white  marble,  the  Csesareum 
and  the  Agrippeum,  named  respectively  after  Augustus 
and  his  great  minister,  were  united  by  a  long  terrace, 
which,  from  its  tesselated  flooring,  was  called  by  the 
Romans  the  Pavement,  but  by  the  Jews  Gabbatha,  or 
the  Elevation. 

On  the  morning  after  the  arrival  of  Florus,  a  vast 
concourse  of  Jewish  citizens  assembled  in  front  of  this 
terrace  when  it  became  known  that  the  procurator  had 
summoned  the  members  of  the  Sanhedrim  thither  for 
the  purpose  of  interrogating  them  as  to  the  riot  that 
had  taken  place  three  days  previously. 

Among  those  who  came  was  the  crafty  Sadducean 
priest  Ananias,  who  hoped,  by  reason  of  his  private 
friendship  with  Florus,  to  dispose  that  tyrant  to  pacific 
measures. 

Beside  him,  glooming  within  himself,  was  his  eldest 
son,  the  fierce,  dark-browed  Eleazar,  captain  of  the 
temple,  whose  wrath  was  scarcely  to  be  restrained  by 
the  whispered  admonitions  of  his  more  politic  father. 

Florus,  disposed  for  reasons  of  his  own  to  receive 
the  Sanhedrim  in  the  open  air,  had  given  orders  for 

134 


The  Vengeance  of  Florus  125 

his  curule  chair  to  be  brought  forth,  and  set  down  upon 
the  Pavement  midway  between  the  two  wings. 

In  the  rear  of  this  elevated  tribunal  and  along  its 
whole  length  glittered  the  brazen  bucklers  and  crested 
helmets  of  the  legionaries ;  they  flanked  the  walls  of 
the  two  wings  likewise,  so  that  the  whole  military  force 
formed  the  three  sides  of  a  rectangle,  the  fourth  being 
open  to  the  view  of  the  public. 

These  troops  were  the  Twentieth  Legion,  a  force 
drawn,  not  like  Rufus'  Italic  Cohort,  from  native 
Romans,  but  from  the  dregs  of  the  Syrian  populace 
who  were  forced  to  a  military  service  from  which  the 
Jew,  by  reason  of  his  religion,  was  exempt.  Hence  the 
feeling  of  these  troops  towards  the  Jewish  nation  was 
one  of  fierce  hatred,  a  hatred  that  had  often  shown 
itself  in  deeds  of  blood.  Let  Florus  give  but  the 
word  and  they  would  not  hesitate  to  massacre  every 
man,  woman,  and  child  before  the  tribunal. 

On  this  particular  morning,  as  they  stood  awaiting 
the  coming  of  the  procurator,  there  was  in  their  man- 
ner something  so  sinister  and  expectant  that  a  secret 
misgiving,  a  sense  as  of  tragedy  to  come,  seized  upon 
many  of  the  Sanhedrim. 

Florus  appeared  at  last,  and  contemptuously  ignor- 
ing the  fawning  smiles  of  Ananias  stalked  to  the  curule 
chair,  dark,  haughty,  frowning. 

The  herald  called  for  silence,  an  unnecessary  order, 
seeing  that  a  death-like  stillness  had  fallen  upon  the 
occupants  both  of  Gabbatha  and  the  public  square. 

Florus'  mood  was  shown  by  his  first  question  to  the 
Sanhedrim. 

"  Is  it  true  that  my  person  has  been  mocked  by  the 
youth  of  this  city,  who  have  gone  about,  basket  on 
arm,  and  crying  aloud,  '  Give  an  obolus  for  Florus  the 
Pauper.?'" 

The  members  of  the  Sanhedrim  looked  at  one  another 
in  alarm.  Finally  they  glanced  at  Ananias  as  if  invit- 
ing him  to  be  their  spokesman. 


126  The  Doomed  City 

Hiding  both  hands  within  the  folds  of  his  robe — 
an  Oriental  way  of  showing  respect  and  humility — ■ 
and  making  a  profound  obeisance,  Ananias  spoke: 

"  O  Florus,  live  forever " 

("Now  heaven  preserve  us  from  that  calamity!" 
muttered  Eleazar.) 

"  That  certain  youth  have  behaved  ill  is  but  too  true, 
and  we  cannot  deny  it.     But " 

Florus  cut  him  short. 

"  Ye  see  in  me  the  representative  of  Caesar " 

"  None  more  worthy  to  represent  him,  O  Florus," 
said  Eleazar,  caustically. 

"  And  he  who  mocks  me,  mocks  Caesar,"  continued 
the  procurator  with  a  side  glance  at  Eleazar.  "  I 
therefore  demand  of  you,  the  Sanhedrim,  who  are  re- 
sponsible for  the  due  maintenance  of  order  in  this  city, 
that  the  youths  who  have  affronted  me  be  handed  over 
here  and  now  to  be  dealt  with  as  their  misdeeds  deserve. 
And  if  ye  fail  to  produce  these  malefactors,  know  that 
for  many  days  to  come  ye  shall  have  a  tale  of  sorrow 
to  tell." 

Miserable  Sanhedrim !  Among  the  elder  of  them 
were  some  who,  thirty  years  before,  on  an  occasion  never 
to  be  forgotten  as  long  as  time  shall  last,  had  said, 
and  that,  too,  on  the  very  spot  where  they  were  now 
standing,  "  We  have  no  king  but  Cassar."  Thus  had 
they  made  their  choice.  Verily,  then,  let  them  not 
repine  if  Caesar,  or  his  representative,  should  treat  them 
in  a  manner  not  according  to  their  liking! 

The  hapless  Ananias,  collecting  with  difficulty  his 
wits,  which  had  been  somewhat  scattered  by  Florus' 
fierce  air,  stammered  out  a  deprecatory  speech. 

What  he  said  amounted  to  this :  that  the  people  were 
as  a  whole  peaceably  disposed ;  some  few  had  done  amiss, 
and  for  these  let  pardon  be  granted,  for  it  was  no 
wonder  that  in  so  great  a  multitude  there  should  be 
some  more  daring  than  they  ought  to  be,  and  by  reason 
of  their  youth  foolish  also.    It  was,  too,  a  very  difficult 


The  Vengeance  of  Florus  127 

matter  to  distinguish  the  innocent  from  the  guilty ;  and 
seeing  that  all  alike,  those  who  had  offended  as  well  as 
those  who  had  not,  were  sorry  for  what  had  happened, 
it  would  become  the  clemency  of  Florus  to  overlook  the 
affair,  lest  a  too  stern  application  of  justice  should 
bring  about  disorders  even  more  grave  than  those  that 
had  already  taken  place. 

"  That  last  is  in  the  nature  of  a  threat !  "  exclaimed 
Florus  fiercely.  "  Yours  is  just  the  sort  of  speech  one 
would  expect  from  a  man  who  has  plotted  against  the 
life  of  a  Roman  citizen,"  he  continued,  with  a  fine 
forgetfulness  of  his  own  delinquencies.  "  Disorders 
more  grave  will  undoubtedly  ensue,  if  the  guilty  are 
allowed  to  walk  unpunished.  Say  without  periphrases 
whether  you  will,  or  will  not,  give  up  these  malefac- 
tors." 

Ananias  hesitated,  but  Johanan  ben  Zacchai  was 
bolder  than  the  ex-high  priest. 

"  We  cannot,"  said  he,  "  consent  to  give  up  these 
youths." 

At  this  there  came  a  shout  of  approval  from  the 
people  assembled  before  the  tribunal. 

Florus  glared  at  them  for  a  moment,  and  then  re- 
sumed : 

"  And  yet  refuse  to  make  a  grant  to  Caesar  of  seven- 
teen talents  from  the  Corban.''  " 

"  Shall  man  rob  God.''  "  exclaim»ed  Eleazar,  fiercely. 
"  This,  too,  we  will  not  do." 

Again  a  shout  of  applause,  this  time  louder,  from 
the  populace.  Florus  accepted  it  for  what  it  was 
meant,  defiance  of  himself.  Turning  to  the  troops  in 
his  rear,  he  cried: 

"  Put  these  rebels  to  the  rout.  Plunder  the  Upper 
Market.     Slay  all  who  oppose." 

Plunder!  What  more  agreeable  order  for  the  sol- 
dier.'* They  required  no  second  bidding.  Like  tigers 
suddenly  let  loose  they  raced  across  the  bema,  sweeping 
the  helpless  Sanhedrim  aside,  and  drawing  their  trench- 


128  The  Boomed  City 

ant  broadswords  thej  precipitated  themselves  upon  the 
defenseless  people,  striking  out  right  and  left,  and 
using  not  the  flat  of  the  blade,  but  the  point  and 
edge. 

It  was  all  the  work  of  a  moment.  Taken  completely 
by  surprise,  and  without  arms  to  defend  themselves, 
the  front  ranks,  hideously  gashed,  sank  moaning  to  the 
ground.  The  rest  of  the  crowd,  aghast  at  the  sight, 
and  suddenly  realizing  that  a  massacre  was  intended, 
strove  to  avoid  the  Roman  blades.  But  for  those  near- 
est the  bema  flight  was  impossible  owing  to  the  density 
of  the  throng.  Then  began  a  horrible  struggle  for 
life ;  he  who  fell  in  that  crowd  never  rose  again,  but 
was  trampled  to  death,  trampled  out  of  all  recognition ; 
moved  by  the  instinct  of  self-preservation  everyone 
strove  to  thrust  his  body  forward  betwixt  his  neighbors, 
or  failing  this,  tried  to  drag  his  fellow  back  in  the 
attempt  to  interpose  something  between  himself  and  the 
terrible  swords  that  were  steadily  coming  on  from  be- 
hind. 

With  the  flight  of  those  farthest  from  the  bema,  the 
mass  became  gradually  loosened,  and  finally  breaking 
into  detached  groups,  fled  in  all  directions,  pursued 
by  the  shouting  and  triumphant  legionaries. 

But  the  Romans  were  not  to  have  it  all  their  own 
way.  Many  of  the  Jews,  escaping  to  the  streets  ad- 
jacent to  the  square,  took  refuge  in  the  first  houses 
they  came  to,  and  having  barred  the  gates,  they 
ascended  to  the  roofs  and  proceeded  to  assail  the  enemy 
below  with  tiles  and  stones.  Others  who  had  fled  farther 
afield,  procuring  weapons  or  whatever  implements  might 
serve  as  such,  retraced  their  steps,  and  favored  by 
their  knowledge  of  the  narrow  and  winding  streets, 
ventured  to  give  battle  to  the  Romans,  and  what  is 
more,  contrived  for  a  time  to  hold  them  in  check. 

The  streets  of  Zion  rang  with  the  clang  of  arms,  and 
the  shouts  of  the  combatants. 

News  of  what  was  happening  came  quickly  to  the 


The  Vengeance  of  Florus  129 

ears  of  Berenice,  producing  in  her  mind  not  only  con- 
sternation, but  an  agonizing  sense  of  self-reproach. 
She  felt  herself  to  be  indirectly  the  cause  of  it  all.  It 
was  Florus'  revenge  for  her  rejection  of  him.  Her  first 
impulse  was  to  fly  to  the  procurator,  and  appeal  to 
him  to  stay  his  hand.  Her  pride  revolted  from  this 
step.  But,  as  the  sound  of  the  fra^^  grew  louder  and 
fiercer,  she  became  more  agitated ;  casting  her  pride 
away  she  resolved  to  hasten  to  his  tribunal  and  inter- 
cede on  behalf  of  her  people. 

As  a  royal  princess,  she  deemed  herself  secure  from 
molestation  by  the  Roman  soldiery ;  but,  forgetful  of 
the  fact  that  she  was  unknown  by  sight  to  the  majority 
of  them,  she  ran  forth  from  her  palace  without  a  single 
attendant.  Fortunately  she  was  seen  by  her  master  of 
the  horse,  who,  collecting  as  many  of  her  household 
troops  as  he  conveniently  could  at  a  moment's  notice, 
went  after  her  with  all  speed. 

On  coming  within  sight  of  the  tribunal  Berenice 
paused  aghast.  Hell  itself  seemed  to  be  let  loose  that 
day.  The  Jews,  captured  in  the  neighboring  streets, 
were  being  dragged  into  the  square  to  be  ruthlessly 
slaughtered  before  the  very  eyes  of  Florus.  No  dis- 
tinction was  made  as  to  age  or  sex.  Even  infants, 
torn  from  the  arms  of  shrieking  mothers,  were  tossed 
aloft  and  caught  upon  the  points  of  spears.  Young 
girls,  tied  naked  to  stakes,  were  exposed  to  the  brutal 
jests  of  the  soldiery,  who  offered  their  captives  liberty 
if  they  would  but  consent  to  taste  a  morsel  of  swine's 
flesh. 

As  Berenice,  with  reeling  brain,  stepped  forward,  she 
caught  sight  of  a  group  of  drunken  soldiers,  standing 
around  a  bright-eyed  Jewish  boy,  whose  age  could  not 
have  exceeded  twelve  years. 

"Tell  us  the  name  of  your  God.''"  exclaimed  a 
soldier. 

"  He  is  called  the  Lord,"  answered  the  boy,  nothing 
daunted  by  the  ring  of  fierce  faces  around  him. 


130  The  Doomed  City 

"  Well,  curse  the  Lord  and  you  shall  live,"  said  a 
second  soldier,  menacing  the  lad  with  his  spear. 

But  the  little  fellow  had  been  too  well  drilled  in  the 
shibboleths  of  Judaism  to  do  their  bidding. 

"  Cursed  be  all  they  that  serve  graven  images,"  he 
replied  defiantly. 

"  This  wolfiing  will  grow  up  into  a  brave  wolf," 
laughed  the  first  soldier. 

"  That  shall  he  not,"  cried  the  second  savagely ;  and, 
raising  his  pike  with  both  hands,  he  drove  the  weapon 
through  the  breast  of  the  boy,  who,  with  the  one  word 
"  Mother !  "  fell  dead  upon  the  spot. 

"  O  God !  "  gasped  Berenice,  "  canst  thou  look  on 
and  let  these  men  live.?  " 

Scarcely  able  to  move  for  horror,  she  made  her  way 
up  the  steps  of  the  bema,  and  drew  near  to  Florus. 
With  hands  clasped  at  the  back  of  his  neck,  and  with 
one  leg  thrown  carelessly  over  the  other,  the  procurator 
was  lolling  at  ease  in  his  curule  chair,  amusing  himself 
with  the  fears  of  a  numerous  body  of  richly-dressed 
captives,  who  were  said,  rightly  or  wrongly,  by  his 
spies,  to  be  the  very  youths  that,  three  days  before, 
had  gone  about  begging  money  for  the  indigent  Florus. 

"  By  the  way,"  said  he,  "  why  don't  you  Jews  eat 
pork.?" 

The  question  drew  loud  laughter  from  the  senseless 
soldiers  standing  by. 

One  of  the  captives  ventured  the  remark  that  there 
were  some  nations  that  did  not  eat  lamb. 

"  And  they  are  quite  right,"  commented  Florus. 
"  Lamb  is  very  insipid ;  but  pork — ah !  that  is  one  of 
the  choicest  delicacies  the  gods  have  conferred  upon 
mankind,  and  I  swear  by  Pluto  that  if  ye  will  not  eat 
of  it  ye  shall  die." 

"  Florus,  in  the  name  of  God  I  adjure  you  to  have 
pity  upon  these  youths,"  cried  Berenice.  "  Refrain 
from  further  bloodshed." 

The  feeling  of  Florus  was  a  strange  mingling  of  love 


The  Vengeance  of  Florus  131 

and  hatred  as  he  beheld  the  distressed  princess  in  all 
her  wild  beauty,  her  hair  loosened,  her  feet  bare. 

His  first  mad  impulse — he  had  been  drinking  heavily 
— was  to  clasp  her  in  his  arms  and  kiss  her  passion- 
ately regardless  of  the  spectators ;  his  next,  as  he  re- 
called her  scornful  language  at  Csesarea,  was  to  spurn 
her  with  language  equally  scornful. 

Hatred  triumphed.  He  had  gone  too  far  now  to 
recede,  and  since  he  could  not  have  the  sweetness  of 
love,  he  would  have  the  sweetness  of  revenge. 

Among  the  captives  was  a  beautiful  youth,  whose 
unmistakable  air  of  fearlessness  had  given  secret  um- 
brage to  the  procurator. 

"  Marcus,  you  here.'*  "  cried  Berenice  in  dismay.  He 
was  known  to  her  as  being  a  worshiper  in  the  Royal 
Synagogue. 

"  Fear  not  for  me,  princess.    /  am  safe." 

Self-confidence  such  as  this  moved  Florus  to  a  frenzy 
of  wrath. 

"  Lictors,  crucify  me  this  knave  who  considers  him- 
self so  safe." 

"  Oh,  no !  no !  "  cried  Berenice  in  an  agony  of  grief. 

The  youth,  with  a  proud  smile,  gave  utterance  to 
words  that  in  every  province  of  the  empire,  save  one, 
had  power  to  stay  the  hand  of  even  Caesar  himself: 

"  civis  ROMANUS  SUM — I  am  a  Roman  citizen !  " 

"  Ah!  So  that  is  thy  hope.f*  Well,  it  shall  not  avail 
thee.  A  Roman  citizen?  Pah!  How  easy  to  become 
such  nowadays !  Damas  the  Jew  is  a  knave,  but  he 
has  two  oboli  to  spare;  so  the  prastor  touches  him  with 
a  wand,  twirls  him  round,  and  lo !  Damas  the  Jew 
becomes  Marcus  the  Roman,  and  struts  about  in  a 
toga." 

And  here  Florus,  leaping  up,  illustrated  his  words 
by  strutting  about  with  an  air  of  mock  dignity,  amid 
the  laughter  of  his  satellites. 

"  I  am  a  f  reeborn  Roman ;  nay,  more — I  am  of  eques- 
trian rank." 


132  The  Boomed  City 


it 


A  knight — eh?  Well,  we'll  acknowledge  thy  dig- 
nity by  giving  thee  a  higher  cross  and  painting  it 
purple.     Lictors,  bring  hither  a  stock." 

In  his  mad  desire  to  torment  to  the  uttermost  the 
soul  of  Berenice,  Florus  did  not  hesitate  to  defy  Roman 
law  by  an  outrage  so  great  that  Cicero  confesses  his 
inability  to  find  a  name  for  it.  "  It  is  an  offense  to 
bind  a  Roman  citizen ;  a  crime  to  scourge  him ;  almost 
a  parricide  to  kill  him;  what,  then,  shall  I  say  of 
crucifying  him?  " 

Such  an  outrage  on  the  part  of  a  Roman  governor 
might  be  deemed  incredible  were  it  not  attested  by  a 
contemporary  historian. 

"  Florus,"  says  Josephus,  "  dared  to  do  what  no 
governor  before  his  time  had  ever  done — to  have  men 
of  the  equestrian  order  scourged  and  nailed  to  the  cross 
in  front  of  his  tribunal,  who,  although  they  were 
Jews  by  birth,  were  yet  of  Roman  dignity  notwith- 
standing." 

Desirous  of  adding  not  so  much  to  the  agony  of 
Marcus  as  to  that  of  Berenice,  Florus,  with  a  cruel 
smile,  issued  a  fresh  order. 

"  Hold !  before  crucifying  the  knave  we'll  scourge 
him." 

A  strange  thing  is  the  heart  of  a  woman !  Berenice, 
who  had  been  willing  to  subject  a  young  girl  to  scourg- 
ing, now  shuddered  when  a  similar  torture  was  proposed 
for  a  young  man. 

As  for  the  victim  himself,  vainly  did  he  urge  his  legal 
right  to  be  transferred  from  the  tribunal  of  Florus  to 
that  of  Nero. 

"  Appello  CcEsarem — I  appeal  unto  Caesar,"  he 
cried. 

"  Csesar's  a  long  way  off,"  laughed  Florus.  "  In 
Greece,  playing  the  fool.  You'll  have  to  shout  a  good 
deal  louder,  if  he's  to  hear  you." 

Deaf  to  his  protests,  the  lictors  stripped  the  youth 
of  his  garments  and  tied  his  wrists  to  a  column.     He 


The  Ve7igeance  of  Florus  133 

tried  to  be  brave,  but  where  is  the  man  that  could  be 
brave  when  subjected  to  the  strokes  of  the  "  horrible 
ftagellum  "? 

A  thrilling  scream  burst  from  Marcus'  lips  as  the 
leathern  thongs,  weighted  with  triangular  pieces  of 
lead,  descended  upon  his  naked,  quivering  flesh. 

"  O  Apollo !  How  sweet  a  voice ! "  cried  Florus 
mockingly.  "  By  the  gods,  Nero  must  look  to  his 
laurels,  for  he  hath  a  rival.  Give  him  a  second  stroke. 
Ah !  a  higher  note  this  time.  Swing  the  flagellum  again. 
We'll  run  him  through  the  whole  octave." 

The  rest  of  the  captives,  apprehensive  of  the  same 
fate,  looked  on  with  blanched  cheeks  and  terror-stricken 
eyes. 

Berenice's  distress  of  mind  made  her  look  like  some 
wild  thing.  Her  manifest  agony  was  a  luxury  to  the 
soul  of  Florus. 

"  There  are  twenty  of  these  youths,"  he  whispered, 
"  and  they  shall  all  suffer  the  same  fate,  scourging  and 
crucifixion.    But  you  can  save  them,  if  you  will." 

"  How.?  "  gasped  Berenice. 

Florus'  whispered  reply  was  of  a  character  so  in- 
famous that  the  indignant  princess  raised  her  hand  and 
struck  her  open  palm  against  his  cheek;  struck,  too, 
with  all  her  force. 

Smarting  with  the  pain,  Florus  started  back  with  a 
very  ugly  look  upon  his  face. 

"  Guards,  remove  this  woman  from  the  bema.  What 
hath  she  to  do  with  these  matters?  " 

And  the  rough  soldiery,  paying  little  respect  either 
to  her  womanhood  or  to  her  rank,  drove  her  down 
the  steps  of  the  tribunal." 

Night   fell,   calm   and   beautiful. 

The  Syrian  stars  looked  down  upon  the  tribunal, 
whose  stones,  could  they  have  spoken,  might  have  told 
how,  thirty  years  before,  a  wicked  populace  had  cried, 
"  His  blood  be  on  us,  and  on  our  children!  " 


134  The  Doomed  City 

That  self-invoked  curse  was  working  out  its  fulfill- 
ment. 

There,  on  the  very  spot  where  those  words  had  been 
uttered,  stood  a  multitude  of  crosses,  each  lifting  a 
ghastly  victim  to  the  midnight  sky! 


CHAPTER  XI 

**  TO    YOUR    TENTS,    O    ISRAEL  !  " 

During  the  massacre  instigated  by  Florus,  a  mas- 
sacre that  numbered  no  less  than  three  thousand  six 
hundred  victims,  Crispus,  by  nature  of  the  case,  had 
been  compelled  to  look  helplessly  on. 

Side  with  the  Roman  troops  he  could  not ;  to  side 
with  the  Jews  would  have  been  unpatriotic.  His  at- 
tempt at  mediation  met,  like  that  of  Berenice,  with  an 
insulting  repulse  from  the  procurator.  Burning  with 
indignation,  he  retired  to  the  Turris  Antonia  and  ad- 
dressed to  his  father  a  letter  describing  the  disgrace 
that  had  been  brought  upon  the  Roman  name  by  Florus, 
and  urging  the  Legate  to  come  at  once  with  a  legion 
and  restore  order  in  Jerusalem  by  the  only  method 
possible,  the  deposition  of  the  wicked  procurator.  This 
letter,  when  finished,  he  dispatched  to  Antioch  by  the 
hand  of  a  swift  courier. 

Florus,  having  given  ample  ground  for  rebellion,  pro- 
ceeded, in  pursuance  of  the  same  sinister  policy,  to  take 
his  departure,  withdrawing  all  his  troops  save  one  co- 
hort, and  that  a  divided  one,  half  being  allotted  to  the 
Praetorium,  and  half  to  Antonia. 

Never  did  the  baseness  of  Florus'  character  appear 
more  than  in  this,  the  final  act  of  his  official  career. 
He  knew  that,  in  the  present  excited  state  of  the  city, 
garrisons  so  slender  would  offer  an  irresistible  tempta- 
tion to  the  seditious.  But  what  cared  he  for  the 
Romans  whom  he  was  leaving  behind .''  If  the  garrisons 
were  massacred,  why,  so  much  the  better  for  his  pur- 
pose. 

As  Florus  looked  back  upon  the  city  he  was  leaving 

135 


136  TJie  Boomed  City 

he  might  have  said  with  a  nobler  Roman  than  himself, 
"  Mischief,  thou  art  afoot ;  take  what  course  thou 
wilt."  " 

Among  the  troops  ordered  to  leave  Jerusalem  upon 
this  occasion  was  the  Italian  Cohort  of  Rufus,  who, 
however  great  his  dislike  of  the  procurator,  had,  as 
a  loyal  soldier,  no  other  course  than  to  do  as  he  was 
bidden. 

Crispus,  determined  to  remain  in  the  city,  betook 
himself  to  the  Praetorium,  and  offered  his  services  to 
its  commandant  Metilius,  who  was  glad  to  welcome  any 
auxiliary,  and  especially  one  like  Crispus,  whose  sug- 
gestions for  the  defense  of  the  palace  were  not  only 
original,  but,  what  is  more,  practicable. 

To  Metilius'  lament  that,  owing  to  the  lack  of  the 
requisite  missiles,  the  balistae  and  other  machines  of  like 
character  would  have  to  remain  idle,  Crispus  laughingly 
replied : 

"  If  it  comes  to  that,  we  can  discharge  these  statues 
upon  the  heads  of  the  mob." 

He  was  standing  at  the  time  in  a  magnificent  hall 
decorated  with  sculpture,  and,  happening  to  cast  a 
casual  eye  over  the  marble  masterpieces  around  him, 
was  so  much  attracted  by  one  of  them  that  he  walked 
up  to  it  and  examined  it  with  an  attention  that  set 
Metilius  wondering. 

The  statue  represented  a  beautiful  maiden  clothed  to 
the  feet  in  a  graceful  stole.  Upon  the  pedestal  was 
sculptured  the  one  word,  Pytliodorls. 

"  Pythodoris? "  murmured  Crispus.  "Were  not 
that  name  graven  here  I  should  have  called  it  Vashti." 

For  indeed,  the  statue,  both  in  face  and  figure,  was 
so  like  the  Hebrew  maiden  that  anyone  acquainted  with 
her  might  very  well  have  supposed  that  it  was  intended 
for  no  other  person. 

"  Pythodoris .? "  said  Crispus  reflectively.  "  The 
name  is  new  to  me.  Who  is  she,  or  perhaps  I  ought  to 
say,  who  was  she.?  " 


''  To  Your  Tents,  O  Israel!  '*         137 

Metilius  confessed  himself  unable  to  satisfy  the 
curiosity  of  Crispus.  He,  too,  had  never  heard  the 
name. 

"  This  much  I  know  about  the  statue,"  remarked 
he ;  "  that  it  is  a  recent  addition  to  this  gallery,  and 
was,  I  believe,  a  gift  of  King  Polemo." 

The  introduction  of  the  Pontic  king's  name  added 
not  a  little  to  Crispus'  perplexity. 

"  The  lady  evidently  is,  or  was,  a  queen,"  observed 
Metilius,  pointing  to  the  Oriental  diadem  upon  the 
head  of  the  figure. 

Surveying  the  statue  more  closely,  Crispus  saw  en- 
graved upon  the  sandal  in  minute  letters,  AA202 
EnOIEI. 

"  '  The  workmanship  of  Lasus,' "  said  he,  reading 
the  name  of  a  sculptor  well  known  at  the  beginning 
of  the  first  century.  "  'Tis  fifty  years  ago  since  he 
died,  so  we  may  conclude  that  this  is  the  image  of  a 
queen  no  longer  living.  How  to  account  for  her  re- 
semblance to  Vashti.''  But,"  he  added  suddenly,  cutting 
the  matter  short,  "  we  do  wrong  to  stand  musing  here, 
when  there  are  graver  matters  to  attend  to." 

Herein  Crispus  spoke  truly.  The  seditiously-dis- 
posed among  the  Jews  had  noted  with  secret  joy  that 
Florus  had  left  the  city  all  but  denuded  of  troops. 
What  could  the  two  slender  garrisons  of  three  hundred 
each  do  against  the  whole  city?  To  neglect  such  a 
golden  opportunity  for  the  recovery  of  freedom  was 
a  contravening  of  the  will  of  Elohim,  who  must  surely 
have  brought  about  this  arrangement  for  the  good  of 
the  holy  seed. 

Day  by  day  affairs  grew  more  threatening ;  in  the 
temple-courts  and  In  the  synagogues,  fiery  Zealots  from 
the  mountains,  and  wild-eyed  prophets  from  the  desert, 
declared  to  the  credulous  multitude  that  all  the  signs 
of  the  times  pointed  to  the  near  advent  of  the  long- 
promised  Messiah,  when  the  Jewish  nation  should  not 
only  be  free,  but  should   reign   supreme  over  all  the 


138  The  Doomed  City 

children  of  the  earth  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  to  the 
setting  thereof. 

Vainly  did  Agrippa  and  Berenice  seek  to  deter  the 
infatuated  populace  from  a  course  certain  to  end  in 
the  ruin  of  the  Jewish  state. 

"  To  your  tents,  O  Israel !  "  was  the  answer  of  the 
Zealots.  "  What  dealings  have  we  with  Caesar,  or  what 
is  our  portion  in  Rome?  " 

It  was  eventide,  and  the  silver  trumpets  were  sound- 
ing the  signal  for  the  closing  of  the  temple-gates,  as 
two  figures  mounted  the  stairs  leading  to  the  roof  of 
Solomon's  Colonnade. 

The  one  was  Eleazar,  the  captain  of  the  temple,  the 
other  Simon  of  Gerasa,  who,  during  several  days,  had 
been  living  in  a  secret  chamber  of  the  sanctuary ;  for 
Eleazar  could  not  refuse  the  right  of  asylum  to  a 
patriot  whose  stores  of  wealth,  acquired  by  brigandage, 
had  always  been  sent  by  secret  and  devious  methods 
to  the  temple  treasury. 

As  the  two  paced  the  roof  they  talked,  and  seldom 
in  the  history  of  the  world  has  talk  been  more  momen- 
tous in  its  consequences. 

"  The  people  are  ripe  for  war,"  said  Eleazar  with  a 
fierce,  exultant  smile.  "  We'll  set  them  to  attack  the 
garrisons  in  Antonia  and  the  Praetoriura." 

"  Whence  shall  we  obtain  the  necessary  arms.''  " 

"You  know  Masada?"  asked  Eleazar. 

It  would  indeed  have  been  strange  if  Simon  had  not 
known  the  name,  at  least,  of  the  famous  stronghold, 
emphatically  named  Masada — "  the  fortress  " — 
built  by  Jonathan  Maccabasus  upon  a  precipitous  cliff, 
fifteen  hundred  feet  in  height,  overhanging  the  waters 
of  the  Dead  Sea,  a  fastness  in  which  the  treasures  of 
Jerusalem  had  been  deposited  for  security  during  the 
troubled  times  of  the  Asamonean  monarchy. 

"  It  contains  arms  for  ten  thousand  men,"  continued 
Eleazar. 


"To  Your  Tents,  O  Israel!"         139 

*'  With  a  Roman  garrison  to  guard  them." 

"  Tush !  the  garrison  is  but  a  slender  one,  and,  aware 
of  this,  I  have  sent  off  a  band  to  attack  the  place." 

Simon  received  this  startling  news  with  a  grim  joy. 

"  'Tis  a  declaration  of  war,"  remarked  he. 

"  'Tis  meant  for  such.    One  must  make  a  beginning." 

"But  Masada!"  remonstrated  Simon.  "Art  mad.'^ 
The  fortress  is  impregnable." 

"  And  therefore  the  more  easily  surprised.  An  im- 
pregnable fortress  always  renders  its  garrison  care- 
less." 

"Who  heads  this  daring  expedition?" 

"  Manahem,  the  son  of  Judas  of  Galilee." 

"  The  traitor  who  bought  from  Florus  the  license 
to  plunder !  "  exclaimed  Simon  wrathfully ;  for  he  and 
Manahem  had  long  been  jealous  rivals. 

"Shall  I  repel  a  man  who  offers  me  his  services?" 
answered  Eleazar.  "  Four  nights  ago  he  descended 
from  the  mountains  with  his  guerilla  band,  and  sought 
me  out,  bidding  me  tell  him  to  do  something  for  the 
cause.     I  bade  him  go  and  take  Masada." 

"  If  he  succeed,  he  will  indeed  be  a  Manahem," 
sneered  Simon,  plajang  upon  his  rival's  name,  which  in 
Hebrew  signifies  Comforter. 

Overhead  hung  a  dark-blue  firmament  sparkling  with 
stars,  by  whose  light  the  nearer  hills  that  "  stand  round 
about  Jerusalem  "  were  clearly  visible ;  beyond  them, 
appearing  far  off  on  the  horizon,  was  the  mount  known 
from  old  time  as  Beth-haccerem,  whose  conspicuous 
peak  had  marked  it  as  a  suitable  station  for  signaling 
tidings  to  Jerusalem  by  that  primitive  mode  of  tele- 
graph, the  beacon-fire. 

Eleazar's  eyes  were  set  upon  Beth-haccerem,  and 
Simon,  following  his  companion's  gaze,  was  surprised 
to  see  a  light  springing  into  being  upon  the  dark  sum- 
mit of  the  distant  peak.  No  evanescent  flash,  but  a 
light  that  continued  to  sparkle  and  glow;  evidently  a 
signal,  the  meaning  of  which  was  known  to  the  priest, 


140  The  Boomed  City 

if  one  must  judge  by  the  satisfaction  that  gleamed 
from  his  dark  countenance. 

"  Sooner  than  I  durst  hope,"  he  murmured.  "  The 
impregnable  fortress  has  fallen." 

"  Masada?  "  gasped  Simon  with  a  mingled  feeling 
of  amazement  and  jealousy. 

"  So  is  yon  light  to  be  interpreted,"  replied  Eleazar. 
*'  The  armory  of  Masada  is  now  in  our  hands,  and 
to-morrow  a  train  of  wagons  will  come  rolling  towards 
Jerusalem  laden  with  weapons  for  the  people." 

"  How  will  your  father  and  the  Sanhedrim  take  this 
deed  of  yours  ?  " 

"  Leave  me  to  deal  with  them,"  replied  Eleazar  with 
a  hard  smile. 

On  the  next  day  a  meeting  of  the  Sanhedrim  was 
convened  by  Matthias,  the  high  priest,  for  the  purpose 
of  considering  the  course  to  be  observed  by  that  body, 
should  the  common  people  persist  in  their  outspoken 
determination  to  take  up  arms  against  the  Romans. 

At  this  gathering — held  in  the  temple  within  the 
walls  of  the  famous  Lishcath  Ha-Gazith  or  Hall  of 
Squares,  so  named  from  its  checkered  pavement — 
Eleazar  came  out  with  a  new  and  startling  proposition, 
upon  which  he  desired  a  vote  should  be  taken. 

"  It  hath  been  the  custom  in  our  temple  since  the 
days  of  Herod,"  said  he,  "  to  offer  daily  a  sacrifice 
for  the  safety  and  welfare  of  the  reigning  Caesar.  But 
why  should  we  pray  for  our  enemy?  why  pray  for  an 
uncircumcized  heathen?  why  pray  for  Nero,  who  in 
claiming  Divine  honors  insults  the  name  of  the  Most 
High?  In  praying  that  the  life  of  this  blasphemer  may 
be  prolonged,  what  are  we  doing  but  praying  for  the 
continuance  of  blasphemy?  Brethren  and  fathers,  this 
must  not  be.  My  voice  is  that  from  to-day  the  sacrifice 
for  Cajsar  shall  cease." 

As  soon  as  Eleazar  had  resumed  his  seat,  Ananias 
rose  to  oppose  the  daring  innovation  propounded  by 
his  son. 


"To  Your  Tents,  O  Israel!''         141 

"However  agreeable  this  proposal  may  be  to  our 
secret  inclination,"  said  he,  "  the  question  for  us  is, 
in  what  light  would  Nero  regard  it,  for  it  will  not 
escape  his  knowledge.  He  would  take  it  as  an  affront 
— nay,  more,  as  a  declaration  of  war." 

"  Let  him  take  it  as  such,"  said  Eleazar,  boldly. 
Now  you  reveal  your  true  aim,"  answered  Ananias, 
"  which  is  to  act  as  a  mover  of  sedition.     You  would 
have  the  Sanhedrim  declare  war  against  Rome." 

"  War  is  certain  to  come — nay,  is  here  now — and 
there  is  no  other  course  left  for  the  Sanhedrim  but 
to  side  with  the  multitude  in  their  struggle  for  lib- 
erty." 

"  Not  so,"  cried  some,  loudest  among  them  beino- 
Ananias.  '^ 

"  O  then,  you  will  fight  on  the  side  of  the  Romans— 
a  noble  act  for  patriotic  Jews !  " 

There  is  a  third  course — to  remain  neutral,"  said 
Simeon  ben  Gamaliel. 

"  That  way  death  lies.  The  people— the  fight  once 
begun — will  have  no  neutrals  among  them.  Their  cry 
will  be,  '  He  that  is  not  with  us  is  against  us.'  " 

"We  can  leave  Jerusalem,"  said  Johanan  ben  Zac- 
chai.  "Not  without  cutting  yourself  off  from  God. 
The  sacrifices  through  which  He  is  alone  accessible- 
can  they  be  offered  anywhere  but  in  that  place  where 
He  has  chosen  to  put  His  name.?  Dare  we  as  priests 
live  apart  from  the  temple.^  No!  And,  since  we  can- 
not prevent  the  war,  we  must  seek  to  guide  its  course 
by  putting  ourselves  at  the  head  of  the  national  move- 
ment, unless  we  would  see  ourselves  set  aside  and  rele- 
gated to  obscurity,  and  even,  it  may  be,  given  over  to 
prison  and  to  death.     It  is  clear  that- 


But  at  this  point  the  council,  at  the  instigation  of 
Ananias,  lifted  up  their  voices  in  dissent,  so  loud  and 
"-)  prolonged,  that  the  orator  was  compelled  to  come 
)  an  end. 

At   the  first  luU,  Ananias   bade   Matthias   put   the 


142  The  Boomed  City 

question  to  the  vote,  and,  this  being  done,  the  proposi- 
tion for  the  abolition  of  the  Caesarean  sacrifice  was  de- 
feated by  a  considerable  majority. 

"  So  ends  your  treason ! "  sneered  Ananias,  address- 
ing his  son. 

Eleazar  rose,  somewhat  pale,  but  with  a  defiant  smile 
on  his  lips. 

"  The  vote  is  of  no  consequence "  he  began. 

"  Hark  to  him !  "  cried  Ananias. 

"  As  captain  of  the  temple,  I  decree  that  from  to- 
day no  more  sacrifices  shall  be  offered  on  behalf  of 
Caesar." 

"And  how  will  you  effect  your  decree.''"  laughed 
Ananias. 

"  Why,  thus,"  replied  Eleazar  coolly,  placing  a  ram's 
horn  to  his  lips,  and  blowing  one  sharp,  shrill  note. 

At  that  sound  every  door  opening  into  the  hall 
Gazith  flew  wide  revealing  a  sudden  blaze  of  arms. 
Then,  marching  with  slow  and  majestic  pace,  there  filed 
into  the  chamber  a  tall  and  stately  band  of  Nethinim 
clad  in  glittering  mail.  Moving  with  admirable  order, 
they  ranged  themselves  along  the  four  walls  of  the 
chamber,  and  then  stood,  shield  and  spear  at  their 
back,  as  silent  and  motionless  as  statues. 

These  Nethinim  formed  a  part  of  the  temple  guards, 
servants  of  Eleazar,  who,  independently  of  their  oath 
of  obedience  to  their  captain,  were  for  other  reasons 
devotedly  attached  to  his  person.  Whatever  he  should 
bid  them  do,  that  would  they  do. 

And  what  was  his  bidding  to  be?  The  silent  San- 
hedrim waited  in  wonder,  indignation,  fear. 

"  The  vote  of  to-day  has  taught  me,"  said  Eleazar, 
"  who  are  the  friends  and  who  are  the  foes  of  Israel. 
Let  those  who  are  on  my  side,"  he  continued,  "  move  to 
the  right." 

The  invitation  was  accepted  by  not  more  than  a 
dozen  members,  among  them  being  Matthias  the  Presi- 
dent, and  Simeon  ben  Gamaliel. 


*'  To  Your  Tents,  O  Israel! "         143 

"  From  to-day,"  continued  Eleazar,  "  the  temple  be- 
comes the  seat  of  a  holy  war,  the  abode  of  the  Lord's 
host,  a  citadel  in  the  service  of  freedom.  Henceforth, 
its  gates  open  only  to  the  true  worshipers  of  Israel, 
whose  foes  ye  are,"  he  added,  turning  to  his  Sanhedrist 
opponents.  "  Withdraw,  ere  the  scourges  of  the  Nethi- 
nim  quicken  your  steps." 

The  fierce  storm  of  indignant  protest  that  burst  from 
Ananias  and  his  party  met  with  a  savage  laugh  from 
Eleazar. 

"  You  dare  threaten  us  with  expulsion  from  the 
temple .''  "  cried  Ananias,  his  eyes  blazing  with  wrath. 

"  This  is  no  place  for  the  friends  of  Caesar.  What ! 
ye  will  not  budge?     Guards,  drive  these  traitors  forth." 

As  if  the  command  were  a  joy  to  them,  the  Nethinim 
rushed  forward,  at  the  same  time  drawing  forth 
scourges  and  whips  which  they  applied  without  more 
ado  to  the  bodies  of  the  immovable  Sanhedrists. 

Then  ensued  a  strange  scene.  From  the  Sanhedrim 
came  screams  of  pain  and  fierce  protests,  undignified 
scufflings  and  even  oaths. 

Their  feeble  resistance  was  soon  overborne ;  without 
weapons,  and  inferior  in  numbers  and  strength  to  their 
more  youthful  opponents,  they  were  thrust  forth  from 
the  Hall  of  Squares,  and  driven  across  the  wide  court 
of  the  Gentiles. 

A  sight  so  unusual  at  once  attracted  the  attention 
of  the  multitude,  who  were  at  first  disposed  to  side  with 
the  struggling  Sanhedrim,  but  the  magical  words, 
"  Friends  of  the  Romans,"  quickly  turned  tlieir  sympa- 
thies into  the  opposite  scale,  so  that  they  readily  joined 
the  Nethinim  in  the  work  of  expulsion ;  and  the  end 
of  it  all  was  that  the  venerable  fathers  found  them- 
selves outside  the  temple,  indignant  and  breathless, 
disheveled  and  bleeding. 

After  a  brief  consultation,  they  took  their  way  across 
the  Tyropaeon  Bridge  to  the  Upper  City,  and  entered 
the  palace  of  Ananias.     From  its  flat  roof  they  could 


IH  The  Doomed  City 

see  something  of  what  was  passing  in  the  temple. 
Every  part  of  the  holy  house  was  glittering  with  arms. 
Eleazar  was  making  good  his  word;  the  temple  was 
being  garrisoned,  in  the  interests  not  of  Rome,  but  of 
Israel. 

Aware  of  the  hatred  with  which  his  pro-Roman  sym- 
pathies were  regarded  by  the  mob,  Ananias,  in  con- 
junction with  a  large  body  of  Jewish  loyalists,  deemed 
it  prudent,  before  the  day  was  out,  to  take  refuge  with 
the  soldiers  in  the  Praetorium. 

Late  that  same  night,  Berenice  escorted  by  a  small 
retinue  made  her  way  to  this  palace ;  and,  while  her 
guards  waited  without,  she  herself  entered  to  take  a 
farewell  of  Crispus. 

She  came  with  startling  tidings.  Simon  the  Black 
was  in  the  city,  and,  resorting  to  a  master-stroke  of 
policy,  had  freed  all  the  poor  debtors — and  they  were 
a  very  numerous  body  in  Jerusalem — by  persuading 
them  to  set  fire  to  the  Archeion  in  Ophel,  the  building 
in  which  were  registered  all  monetary  loans  contracted 
by  private  citizens,  such  official  registration  constitut- 
ing the  only  legal  proof  of  the  transaction.  Having 
thus  involved  the  multitude  in  an  irrevocable  act  of 
sedition,  Simon  had  next  led  them  forth  to  Olivet,  where 
the  Zealots  of  Manahem,  returning  in  triumph  from 
the  conquest  of  Masada,  were  now  engaged,  by  the 
torches'  glare,  in  making  a  free  distribution  of  arms 
to  all  who  were  willing  to  fight. 

AVith  signs  of  the  liveliest  agitation,  the  princess  told 
how  it  was  the  intention  of  the  mob  on  the  following 
morning  to  storm  the  two  Roman  strongholds,  and 
massacre  the  garrisons  by  way  of  retaliation  for  the 
butchery  wrought  by  Florus. 

"  Will  you  not  leave  the  city  with  me,  ere  it  be  too 
late?  "  she  asked  of  Crispus  in  earnest  tones. 

"  'Tis  not  the  fashion  of  Romans  to  desert  their 
post,  however  numerous  the  foe,"  returned  Crispus. 

"  Your  departure  will  not  be  desertion,  for  no  one 


"To  Your  Tents.  O  Israel!"         145 

has  ordered  you  to  fight.  Your  station  here  is  a  volun- 
tary one." 

"  I  will  not  leave  my  fellow-countrymen  to  their 
fate!  That  your  people  have  good  cause  for  insurrec- 
tion is,  alas !  but  too  true.  But,  for  all  that,  my  way 
is  clear.  I  am  a  patriot  and  a  Cestius,  and  it  is  my 
duty  to  keep  the  Roman  eagle  supreme  in  this  city,  or 
die  in  the  attempt." 

Berenice  was  silent  for  a  moment ;  then,  laying  her 
hand  upon  his  arm,  she  said  in  tender  tones: 

"  Let  me  stay  here  to  help  you ;  you  may  become 
wounded,  and  who  is  there  to  nurse  you.'*  And  if  you 
die,  which  heaven  forbid,  I — I  will  die  with  you." 

Crispus  could  not  but  be  touched  with  this  expression 
of  sympathy  on  her  part.  Forgetting  the  incident  in 
the  synagogue,  he  felt  that  he  could  love  her,  if  she 
were  always  like  this.  And  as  he  had  once  thought 
A'ashti's  face  to  be  like  Berenice's,  so  now  did  he  think 
Berenice's  face  like  Vashti's,  as  he  beheld  it  at  this 
moment  transfigured  with  a  beautiful  and  heroic  light. 

"  Princess,  this  is  no  place  for  you,"  said  he  gently. 

He  conducted  the  reluctant  and  sorrowful  Berenice 
to  her  palanquin  at  the  palace  gate.  As  he  parted 
from  her  some  tempting  spirit  bade  him  whisper  ten- 
derly : 

"Farewell,  Athendisr 

He  might  not  have  pronounced  that  name  had  he 
foreseen  its  effect.  Her  sweet  and  lovable  expression 
vanished  in  a  moment,  to  be  replaced  by  a  cold,  suspi- 
cious look  that  repelled  him  as  much  as  the  other  had 
attracted. 

"Why  do  you  call  me  by  that  name.''"  she  asked, 
seeming  to  shrink  from  him. 

"  Perhaps  I  am  trying  an  experiment,  princess,"  said 
he,  significantly. 

Evidently  it  was  an  experiment  that  did  not  please 
Berenice.  She  looked  for  all  the  world  like  a  woman 
detected  in  a  secret.    With  a  glance  that  might  be  inter- 


146  The  Doomed  City 

preted  as  one  almost  of  fear,  she  sank  back  on  the 
cushions  of  the  palanquin,  and,  without  another  word 
to  him,  gave  the  order  for  the  bearers  to  proceed. 

In  pensive  mood,  Crispus  watched  her  departure. 
Whether  she  were  Athenais,  or  whether  she  were  not, 
it  was  difficult  to  see  why  the  simple  mention  of  the 
name  should  act  so  strangely  upon  her.  That  he  had 
not  lost  her  favor,  however,  was  evidenced  by  the  arri- 
val, during  the  night,  of  three  thousand  Jewish  cavalry. 
They  were  the  troops  of  King  Agrippa,  and  had  been 
sent  by  him  to  bring  his  sister  safely  out  of  the  troubled 
city ;  meeting  them  on  the  way,  Berenice  had  bidden 
them  go  on  to  the  help  of  the  little  garrison  in  the 
Prsetorium.  It  can  readily  be  imagined  how  gladly 
these  new  auxiliaries  were  welcomed  by  Metilius,  but 
when  Crispus  suggested  that  one-half  of  them  should 
proceed  to  Antonia,  Darius,  the  master  of  the  horse, 
declined,  on  the  ground  that  the  princess'  orders  were 
that  he  should  fight  for  the  Prsetorium  only. 


CHAPTER  Xn 

"  v^  ncTis !  " 

Early  next  morning  the  Zealot  chief  Manahem,  who, 
with  his  followers,  had  camped  during  the  night  upon 
OHvet,  descended  that  mount,  and,  seated  upon  a 
chariot,  entered  the  city  with  an  air  of  pomp  and  state 
that  moved  the  spleen  of  Eleazar,  as  he  watched  the 
procession  from  the  roof  of  the  temple-cloisters. 

"  Is  this  fellow  a  king?  "  said  he.  "  Will  he  reign 
at  Jerusalem.''  " 

Manahem  was  welcomed  with  enthusiastic  acclama- 
tion bj  the  newly-armed  populace,  who  demanded  that 
he  should  at  once  lead  them  against  Antonia,  fully 
believing  that  he  who  had  taken  Masada  would  have 
no  difficulty  in  taking  a  similar  fortress.  Manahem 
could  not  decline  this  task  without  risking  his  character 
for  bravery;  so,  after  plundering  and  burning  the 
deserted  palaces  of  Agrippa  and  Ananias,  he  advanced 
at  the  head  of  a  tumultuous  and  disorderly  throng  to- 
wards the  Turris  Antonia,  where,  having  procured  si- 
lence, he — in  very  bad  Latin — called  upon  the  com- 
mandant to  surrender  the  fortress. 

"  I  am  a  Roman." 

And  the  officer,  deeming  that  answer  sufficient,  dis- 
dained to  give  any  other. 

"  So  was  he  who  held  Masada,"  replied  the  Zealot 
chief,  giving  the  signal  for  the  attack. 

All  day  long  under  Manahem's  leadership  a  fierce 
fight  raged  round  the  fortress,  but  when  night  fell,  the 
Jews  had  nothing  to  show  for  their  fiery  valor  except 
their  heavy  tale  of  dead  and  dying. 

Manahem's  wrath,  arising  from  his  failure,  was  en- 

147 


148  The  Doomed  City 

hanced  by  the  remark  of  Simon,  who,  out  of  jealousy, 
had  refrained  from  helping  his  brother-chief. 

"  You  have  caused  the  holy  seed  to  be  massacred." 

"  Thou  shalt  captain  them  thyself  to-morrow,"  said 
Manahem. 

"  Be  it  50,"  repHed  the  Black  Zealot  calmly. 

Next  morning  when  the  multitude  had  again  as- 
sembled for  war  Simon  thus  addressed  them : 

"  Let  him  who  had  father  or  mother,  son  or  daughter, 
killed  in  the  day  of  Florus  come  forward." 

Immediately  hundreds  of  men  pushed  their  way  to 
the  front. 

"  Behold  the  men  who  killed  them ! "  cried  Simon, 
pointing  with  his  sword  to  the  fortress. 

This  lie,  for  such  it  was — the  garrison  having  taken 
no  part  whatever  in  the  massacre — had  a  telling  effect 
upon  the  crowd,  filling  them  with  new  fire  and  new 
fury.  Led  on  by  Simon  in  person,  they  rushed  for- 
ward with  the  scaling  ladders  and  planted  them  against 
the  walls,  though  it  was  only  to  be  driven  back  again. 
For  many  hours  the  battle  raged ;  nineteen  times  re- 
pulsed, they  returned  with  spirit  unabated  to  the  at- 
tack ;  at  the  twentieth  assault,  which  took  place  to- 
wards the  close  of  the  day,  the  Jews  succeeded  in  effect- 
ing an  entrance. 

"  Leave  not  one  alive !  "  was  their  cry.  "  Did  they 
spare  us  and  our  little  ones.''  " 

The  little  garrison,  faced  by  overwhelming  numbers, 
bravely  maintained  the  honor  of  the  Roman  name ;  with 
never  a  thought  of  asking  for  quarter,  they  fought 
doggedly  on,  "  each  stepping  where  his  comrade  fell," 
till  the  blade  glimmered  in  the  grasp  of  the  last  man. 

The  standard  that  on  the  loftiest  tower  had  so  long 
flaunted  before  Jewish  eyes  the  hateful  letters  S.P.Q.R., 
was  hauled  down  and  torn  to  shreds. 

Thus  fell,  after  two  days'  hard  fighting,  the  great 
fortress  of  Antonia,  an  event  that  gave  little  pleasure 
to  the  victor  of  Masada,  when  he  heard  the  people  say- 


''Fee  Victis!'*  149 

ing  that  night,  "  Manahem  hath  slain  his  thousands, 
but  Simon  his  ten  thousands !  " 

"  To  the  Prsetorium !  "  was  the  cry  of  the  multitude 
next  morning. 

Manahem  resumed  his  command ;  and,  mounted  on  a 
prancing  horse  and  followed  by  shouting  crowds,  he 
advanced  to  the  open  space  fronting  Gabbatha,  and 
in  a  loud  voice  called  for  the  surrender  of  the  palace. 

The  reply  to  this  was  an  arrow,  which,  as  intended, 
went  clean  through  the  crest  of  Manahem's  helmet. 

"  Your  heart  next  time,"  said  Metilius,  "  if  you  again 
propose  treason  to  a  Roman." 

Manahem,  swearing  by  Urim  and  by  Thummim  that 
the  defenders  of  the  Praetorium  should  meet  with  the 
same  fate  as  those  of  Masada  and  Antonia,  moved  off 
to  a  quarter,  whence,  shielded  from  the  missiles  of 
the  enemy,  he  could  direct  the  operations  of  the  siege. 

The  most  pitiable  object  in  the  Praetorium  at  this 
time  was  Ananias.  He  had  ventured  to  look  forth  from 
a  window,  and  the  crowd,  recognizing  him,  yelled  out 
their  fierce  hatred  of  the  Sadducean  hierarch,  loudest 
among  the  shouters  being  priests  themselves,  whose 
words  soon  showed  the  cause  of  their  fury. 

"  Who  sent  his  servants  round  to  collect  the  priests' 
tithes,  and  bludgeoned  those  that  would  not  pay.''  Who 
but  Ananias.?  " 

"  Who,  when  he  had  got  the  tithes,  kept  them  to 
spend  upon  the  harlot  Asenath,  so  that  many  priests 
died  for  want.''     Who  but  Ananias?  " 

Before  his  terrified  gaze  they  paraded  the  gory  head 
of  the  Antonian  commandant  fixed  upon  the  point  of 
a  lofty  pike. 

"  Thus  shall  it  be  with  thy  head,"  they  cried. 

From  that  hour  Ananias  had  the  air  of  a  man 
haunted  with  the  certainty  of  coming  down.  With 
melancholy  countenance,  he  wandered  aimlessly  through 
the  splendid  halls  of  the  Praetorium,  trembling  at  the 


150  The  Boomed  City 

din  of  battle  outside  its  walls,  and  expecting  at  every 
moment  to  witness  the  fearful  inrush  of  fierce-eyed, 
saber-brandishing  Zealots,  all  athirst  for  his  blood. 
His  cowardice  moved  even  his  Jewish  friends  to  con- 
tempt. 

"  Ananias,  thy  face  is  like  a  whited  wall,"  laughed 
one. 

A  whited  wall!  Those  words  troubled  him  for  the 
rest  of  the  day,  reviving,  as  they  did,  a  saying  that 
had  long  since  passed  from  his  memory. 

"  God  shall  smite  thee,  thou  whited  wall:  for  sittest 
thou  to  judge  me  after  the  law,  and  commandest  me  to 
be  smitten  contrary  to  the  law.''  " 

Whence,  and  from  whom,  came  these  words?  Evi- 
dently from  some  prisoner  before  his  judgment-seat, 
whom  he  had  ordered  to  be  struck. 

Yes ;  he  remembered  now ;  it  was  the  indignant  utter- 
ance of  Paul  of  Tarsus — ^that  Paul  whose  life  he  had 
sought  to  take  by  the  daggers  of  the  Zealots.  And 
now,  by  the  irony  of  a  divine  Nemesis,  the  daggers  of 
these  same  Zealots  were  seeking  to  take  his  life! 

Were  there  no  secret  chambers,  he  wailed,  where  one 
could  hide?  He  had  heard  that  Herod,  in  building 
this  palace,  had  constructed  such.  Would  no  one  point 
them  out?  But  all  were  too  busy  with  the  siege  to 
attend  to  his  plaint. 

That  siege  was  conducted  with  cool  skill  on  the  part 
of  the  Romans,  and  with  undisciplined  fury  on  that 
of  the  Jews,  who  with  that  fanatical  frenzy  peculiar 
to  Orientals,  did  not  hesitate  to  fling  their  naked  bodies 
upon  the  Roman  pikes  in  the  vain  attempt  to  force  a 
way  into  the  Praetorium. 

Every  device  known  to  the  warfare  of  that  age  was 
tried  by  the  Jews — escalade  and  fiery  arrows,  battering- 
ram  and  secret  mining — tried  and  made  of  none  effect 
by  the  vigilance  and  ingenuity  of  Crispus.  He,  far 
more  than  Metilius,  was  the  life  and  soul  of  the  garri- 
son, even  as  Simon  proved  himself  more  resourceful  and 


"  Vce  Victis! ''  151' 

valiant  than  his  captain  Manahem,  who  chose  for  the 
most  part  to  sit  still  in  a  safe  place,  paying  out  five 
golden  pieces  for  every  Roman  head  brought  to  him. 

King  Agrippa's  cavalry  did  excellent  service  at  the 
first.  Sallj'ing  forth  at  unexpected  times  they  scat- 
tered the  mob  with  their  furious  charges,  and,  sweep- 
ing the  streets  clear  of  the  besiegers,  they  rode  trium- 
phantly round  and  round  the  palace.  But  Simon  soon 
found  a  remedy  for  these  tactics  by  sprinkling  the 
ground  with  steel  calthrops  that  lamed  the  horses  and 
brought  down  the  riders.  After  this  the  cavalry  re- 
fused to  make  any  more  sallies.  Simon  marked  their 
flagging  zeal,  and  was  quick  to  turn  it  to  his  own  ad- 
vantage. By  the  mouth  of  a  herald  he  proclaimed  that 
the  Jewish  defenders  of  the  Prsetorium  should  have  full 
liberty  to  march  out  of  the  city  with  their  arms  and 
effects ;  some  few,  however,  were  to  be  exempted  from 
this  privilege,  Ananias  being  one  of  the  number.  To 
his  eternal  disgrace,  Darius,  master  of  Agrippa's  horse, 
accepted  these  terms ;  Metilius,  owing  to  the  paucity 
of  his  own  band,  was  unable  to  prevent  this  defection, 
and  accordingly,  on  the  twenty-first  morning  of  the 
siege,  the  Jewish  contingent  began  to  file  through  the 
front  gate  of  the  Prfetorium,  amid  the  jeers  and  curses 
of  those  whom  they  were  leaving  to  their  fate. 

Death  had  reduced  the  number  of  the  Romans  to 
two  hundred  and  fifty ;  and,  as  it  was  impossible  with 
so  small  a  force  to  defend  the  whole  circuit  of  the 
Prastorium,  Metilius  seized  the  opportunity  while  the 
eyes  of  the  Zealots  were  fastened  upon  the  outgoing 
Jewish  troops  to  withdraw  quietly  and  quickly  to  the 
three  great  towers  of  Mariamne,  Phasaelus,  and  Hippi- 
cus,  erected  by  Herod  the  Great,  and  respectively  dedi- 
cated to  the  memory  of  his  wife,  his  brother,  and  his 
friend — towers  situated  upon  the  city-wall,  which,  at 
this  point,  formed  in  itself  the  northern  and  western 
sides  of  the  Praetorium. 

In  the  matter  of  military  architecture,  antiquity  had 


152  Tlie  Boomed  City 

nothing  to  shotv  more  marvelous  than  these  three  tow- 
ers. Each  stood  upon  a  base  of  stone  without  any 
chamber  or  vacuit}^  in  it,  the  base  of  Mariamne  form- 
ing a  solid  cube  of  thirty  feet,  that  of  Phasaelus  forty, 
and  that  of  Hippicus  sixty.  The  battering-ram  was 
powerless  against  these  enormous  blocks,  compacted 
with  unequaled  perfection,  and  bound  together  by  iron 
cramps. 

The  Zealots,  quickly  discovering  that  the  Prastorium 
had  been  abandoned  by  its  defenders,  entered,  and  a 
wild  scene  ensued.  Never  remarkable  for  discipline  or 
for  subserviency  to  their  chiefs,  they  wrangled  fiercely 
over  the  spoil,  even  to  the  extent  of  drawing  swords 
upon  each  other.  Upon  one  point,  however,  all  were 
agreed — namely,  that  the  beautiful  sculptures  adorn- 
ing this  old  Herodian  palace  were  a  violation  of  the 
Second  Commandment,  and  an  insult  to  the  Jewish 
religion. 

"  Idols  !  "  they  screamed. 

Making  no  distinction  between  the  statues  of  mortals 
and  those  of  gods,  they  called  for  hammer  and  mallet, 
and  broke  all  alike  to  pieces. 

"  Vashti's  image  among  the  rest,  I  suppose,"  mut- 
tered Crispus,  as  he  watched  the  work  of  destruction. 
*'  I  would  have  given  much  to  preserve  it." 

The  next  day  two  Zealots,  who  had  been  exploring 
every  corner  of  the  dismantled  palace,  emerged  with 
a  shout,  leading  captive  an  old  man.  It  was  Ananias, 
who  had  lain  during  the  night  concealed  in  a  sub- 
terranean aqueduct. 

More  dead  than  alive,  the  trembling  priest,  who  had 
once  held  despotic  sway  in  Jerusalem,  was  hauled  amid 
contumely  and  blows  to  the  presence  of  Manahem,  who 
received  him  with  a  smile  of  savage  satisfaction. 

"What  shall  be  done  to  this  friend  of  the  Romans.? 
this  traitor  to  his  country.?"  said  he,  affecting  to  ask 
the  advice  of  Simon,  whom  he  secretly  hated,  yet  dared 
not  hurt. 


"Vce  Victis!''  153 

And  herein  Simon  behaved  in  very  subtle  fashion,  for 
wishing  Ananias  to  die,  yet  suspecting  that  if  he  said 
as  much,  Manahem,  out  of  sheer  opposition,  would 
adopt  a  contrary  course,  he  made  answer: 

"  Let  him  live." 

It  was  with  a  mahcious  smile  that  Manahem  replied: 

"  It  is  my  will  that  he  dies." 

And  at  his  nod  two  Zealots  buried  their  daggers 
deep  in  the  breast  of  the  one-time  high  priest." 

An  hour  afterwards  Simon  was  in  the  temple-court 
conversing  with  Eleazar. 

"  Thy  sire  is  dead." 

Eleazar  was  startled,  and  to  some  extent  grieved. 
Filial  sentiment  was  not  altogether  dead  in  him,  in 
spite  of  his  recent  quarrel  with  Ananias,  and  on  learn- 
ing how  the  latter  had  died,  he  exclaimed  fiercely: 

"  God  do  so  to  me  and  more  also  if  I  make  not 
the  end  of  Manahem  as  the  end  of  Ananias !  " 

The  arrogant  Manahem,  unconscious  of  the  forces 
secretly  working  against  him,  now  entered  upon  a 
course  that  brought  him  to  ruin. 

In  the  sack  of  the  Prastorium  he  had  come  across  a 
purple  robe  and  a  golden  crown,  both  belonging  for- 
merly to  Herod  the  Great,  and,  putting  these  emblems 
of  royalty  upon  himself,  he  began  to  assume  the  air 
of  a  king. 

Leaving  a  strong  force  to  watch  the  towers,  Mana- 
hem, regally  attired,  marched  with  the  rest  of  his  fol- 
lowers to  the  temple,  declaring  his  purpose  to  be  a 
rehgious  one;  he  came  to  offer  a  sacrifice  as  a  means 
of  obtaining  further  victories. 

But  Eleazar,  suspecting  that  his  design  was  to  gain 
possession  of  the  temple-fortress,  without  which  Mana- 
hem could  never  be  master  of  the  city,  closed  the  gates, 
set  every  available  Levite  on  guard,  and  refused  ad- 
mission to  the  Zealot  chief. 

And  now  arose  a  dissension  among  the  followers  of 
Manahem;    some    were    for    obtaining    ingress    to    the 


154  The  Doomed  City 

temple  by  force  of  arms,  but  others,  sensible  that 
Eleazar  was  as  good  a  patriot  as  Manahem,  were  for 
withdrawing. 

Then  Eleazar,  seeing  the  quarrel  becoming  great 
among  them,  fanned  the  flame  by  a  speech  that  ended 
with  the  words: 

"  Men,  zealous  for  God,  you  who  out  of  a  love  of 
liberty  have  revolted  from  the  Romans,  do  you  now 
betray  that  liberty  ?  '  You  who  have  cast  off  the  yoke 
of  a  foreign  tyrant,  do  you  now  take  upon  you  the 
yoke  of  one  home-born  ?  " 

Simon,  who  was  standing  beside  Eleazar,  clenched 
the  matter. 

"  Ten  thousand  gold  pieces  to  the  man  who  brings 
me  the  head  of  Manahem,"  he  shouted. 

Thereafter  all  was  confusion. 

Some  of  the  Zealots,  siding  with  Eleazar,  turned 
their  swords  against  their  former  chief,  of  whose 
tyranny  they  had  already  begun  to  weary ;  the  rest, 
closing  around,  endeavored  to  defend  him.  Then,  be- 
neath the  temple  walls,  there  began  a  desperate  fight, 
maintained  for  a  short  time  with  equal  fortune  on  both 
sides ;  but  when  the  armed  Levites,  under  Simon  and 
Eleazar,  descended  from  the  temple,  the  scale  of  battle 
turned.  The  defeated  party  fled  through  Ophel,  within 
whose  narrow  and  winding  streets  Manahem  contrived 
to  elude  capture ;  but  only  for  a  day  or  so.  Dis- 
covered in  his  hiding-place,  he  was  dragged  forth  and 
slaughtered. 

Thus  ignominiously  perished  the  last  of  the  sons  of 
the  famous  Judas,  the  Galilean,  sons,  who,  like  their 
untamable  father,  had  spent  their  lives  among  the 
craggy  heights  of  Judaea,  waging  guerilla  warfare  with 
the  Roman. 

Eleazar  now  took  upon  himself  the  captaincy  of  all 
the  disorderly  elements  in  the  city.  Simon  was  his 
second  in  command,  and  under  their  joint  direction  the 
siege  against  the  Roman  garrison  in  the  three  Hero- 


"  Vce  Victis! "  155 

dlan  towers  was  pressed  forward  with  vigor.  But  the 
fierce  attack  was  met  by  a  defense  equally  fierce ;  ten 
Zealots  died  for  every  Roman,  since  the  garrison  from 
the  cover  of  their  lofty  walls  could  deal  far  more 
hurt  to  the  besiegers  than  the  besiegers  could  to 
them. 

Yet,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  advantage  was 
all  on  his  side,  not  many  days  had  passed  before  Me- 
tilius,  yielding  to  a  strange  and  unaccountable  spirit 
of  cowardice,  suddenly  announced  his  intention  of  seek- 
ing terms  with  the  enemy.  Crispus,  thunderstruck  at 
this  weak-mindedness,  argued  in  vain.  Metilius  held 
the  command,  and  it  was  his  to  do  even  as  he  listed. 

Great  was  Eleazar's  satisfaction  to  hear  himself  ad- 
dressed from  the  battlements  by  Metilius  on  the  question 
of  capitulation. 

An  immediate  armistice  was  proclaimed ;  and  Eleazar, 
after  a  brief  deliberation  with  Simon,  declared  that  if 
the  Romans  would  descend  from  the  towers,  and  deliver 
up  their  arms,  they  should  be  permitted  to  go  forth 
from  the  city  free  and  uninjured.  To  this  Metilius 
assented,  and  the  compact  was  ratified  by  the  reception 
into  the  towers  of  three  Jews,  distinguished  in  rank, 
who,  giving  their  right  hand  to  the  tribune,  swore 
"  by  the  altar  of  God "  to  carry  out  the  promised 
stipulations. 

Placed  in  a  disgraceful  position  by  this  coming  sur- 
render, Crispus  determined  at  first  that  he  would  re- 
main behind,  though  he  should  be  the  only  one  to  do 
so ;  sword  in  hand  he  would  die,  defending  to  the  last 
the  Tower  of  Hippicus.  But  he  soon  relinquished  this 
notion  as  a  piece  of  splendid  but  useless  heroism ;  he 
would  be  casting  away  his  life  without  saving  the  for- 
tress. It  would  be  wiser  and  more  satisfactory  to  live 
on,  and  take  part  in  his  father's  campaign  against  the 
city,  a  campaign  that  would  soon  reduce  the  Jews  to 
submission  again. 

At  the  hour  fixed  for  the  surrender — it  was  the  Sab- 


156  The  Doomed  City 

bath  day — the  Romans  descended  from  the  towers,  and 
stood  on  level  ground. 

They  were  received  by  Eleazar  and  Simon,  who 
pointed  the  way  the  soldiers  should  march.  Metilius, 
on  looking,  saw  that  his  band  would  have  to  pass 
beneath  two  spears  set  obliquely  in  the  ground  so  as 
to  form  a  kind  of  yoke ;  the  Jews  were  adopting  a 
Roman  ceremony  applied  both  to  slaves  and  to  captives 
taken  in  war. 

At  this  sight  the  blood  even  of  Metilius  rebelled. 

"  This  was  not  included  in  the  compact,"  said  he. 

"  Nor  excluded,"  replied  Eleazar  with  an  insulting 
smile.     "  March !  " 

Opposition  being,  in  the  circumstances,  futile,  the 
Romans  were  compelled  to  submit  to  the  humiliating 
ceremony.  As  each  passed  beneath  the  yoke  he  de- 
livered his  sword  and  buckler  to  certain  of  the  Zealots 
stationed  there  to  receive  them. 

But  when  the  last  Roman  had  been  deprived  of  his 
arms,  the  Levitical  guards  of  Eleazar,  sword  in  hand, 
came  crowding  round  the  little  band.  Their  signifi- 
cant looks  sent  a  sudden  suspicion  to  the  hearts  of  the 
Romans. 

"  The  end  has  come,  Metilius,"  said  Crispus.  "  'Twere 
better  to  have  gone  on  fighting." 

"  Prepare  for  death,  ye  uncircumcized  fools,"  cried 
Eleazar  with  a  savage  laugh. 

"  Death.?  "  faltered  Metilius.  "  Death,  when  ye  have 
vowed  by  a  solemn  oath  to  respect  our  lives !  " 

"  We  swore  by  the  altar  of  God,  and  such  oath  is 
not  binding  upon  the  conscience  of  a  Jew.  Here 
standeth  Gamaliel's  son,  Simeon,  master  of  all  the 
learning  of  the  scribes.  Let  him  say  whether  I  speak 
falsely." 

And  that  rabbi,  who  chanced  to  be  present,  stepped 
forward  to  justify  Eleazar's  assertion. 

"  The  elders  have  delivered  it,"  said  he,  "  that  if 
a  man  swear  by  the  gold  of  the  altar  he  must  keep 


'"Vce  Victis!"  157 

his  oath,  or  dread  condemnation ;  but  if  he  swear  by 
the  altar  only,  he  is  not  guilty  if  he  break  his  word." 

But  Johanan  ben  Zacchai,  who  happened  likewise  to 
be  present,  opposed  this  casuistry. 

"  Simeon,"  said  he,  "  which  is  the  greater,  the  gold, 
or  the  altar  that  sanctifieth  the  gold.^  "  And,  turning 
to  Eleazar,  he  said: 

"Will  ye  indeed  slay  these  men?" 

"  Aye !  Did  they  show  us  mercy  in  the  day  of 
Florus.?" 

"  You  will  never  get  another  Roman  garrison  to 
submit." 

"  Be  it  so." 

"  Defer  the  deed,  for  to-day  is  the  Sabbath." 

"  A  holy  day  and  a  holy  deed — to  exterminate  idola- 
ters." 

Simon,  although  a  party  to  Eleazar's  guilty  trick, 
was  nevertheless  willing  to  make  an  exception  in  favor 
of  one  of  the  captives. 

"  Give  me  the  life  of  this  man,"  said  he,  pointing  to 
Crispus. 

"  That  fellow  ?  "  said  Eleazar,  with  a  wrathful  glance 
at  Crispus.  "  He  is  the  one  who  has  done  us  the  most 
hurt.     Why  do  you  seek  to  spare  him  ?  " 

"  Because  at  my  trial  he  was  the  first  to  rise  and 
rebuke  the  wicked  Florus." 

"  He  is  the  man,"  said  Simeon  ben  Gamaliel,  "  who 
defied  and  insulted  us  in  our  own  synagogue  by  snatch- 
ing a  Christian  damsel  from  the  punishment  justly 
due  to  her." 

*'  These  heathen,"  said  Eleazar,  "  when  they  get  the 
opportunity,  try  to  make  us  forswear  our  faith.  Verily, 
we  will  do  the  like  by  them." 

The  bravery  exhibited  by  Crispus  throughout  the 
siege  of  the  Prjetorium  had  created  in  Eleazar  a  feel- 
ing, not  of  admiration,  but  of  rage;  and  this  rage 
was  now  enhanced  by  the  serene  and  fearless  bearing 
of  the  captive. 


158  The  Doomed  City 

Drawing  his  sword  he  walked  over  to  Crispus. 

"  Cursed  polytheist,  what  is  the  name  of  jour  chief 
god?" 

"  He  is  called  Jupiter." 

"  Then  curse  the  name  of  Jupiter,  if  you  would  save 
your  soul  alive." 

Eleazar's  sneering  and  insulting  menace  drove  Cris- 
pus to  a  foolish,  yet  heroic,  defiance. 

"  Men,"  said  he,  turning  to  the  Romans  behind  him, 
"  the  end  has  come.  Let  us  die  bravely."  Then,  rais- 
ing his  hand  aloft  to  heaven,  he  cried,  "  Sovereign 
Jupiter,  all  hail !  " 

"  Swine  that  thou  art ! "  exclaimed  Eleazar ;  and, 
grinding  his  teeth  with  rage,  he  plunged  his  sword  to 
the  very  hilt  into  the  side  of  Crispus,  who  sank  to  the 
ground  as  one  dead. 

Quickened  by  Eleazar's  example,  the  Levites  and 
Zealots  began  a  massacre  of  the  defenseless  captives. 
But  Crispus'  words  had  not  been  without  effect  upon 
the  Romans.  How  bravely  they  died  let  that  historian 
say  who  was  contemporary  with  the  event. 

"  They  neither  defended  themselves,  nor  asked  for 
mercy,  but  only  reproached  their  slayers  for  breaking 
their  oath  and  the  articles  of  capitulation.  And  thus 
were  all  these  men  barbarously  murdered,  all  except- 
ing " — alas !  that  it  should  be  written  of  a  Roman ! — 
"  all  excepting  Metilius ;  for  when  he  entreated  for 
mercy  and  promised  that  he  would  turn  proselyte  and 
be  circumcized,  they  saved  him  alive,  but  none  else." 

Thus  was  Roman  rule  extinguished  in  Jerusalem  in 
the  year  66  a.d.,  a  little  more  than  a  century  after  its 
capture  by  the  great  Pompey. 

On  that  same  Sabbath,  the  high  priest  Matthias,  in 
view  of  the  great  triumph,  decreed  that  the  evening 
sacrifice  should  partake  of  a  thanksgiving  character; 
and  that,  to  enhance  the  dignity  of  the  occasion,  the 
water  used  in  the  service  should  be  taken,  not  from 


"VcB  Victisf'  159 

the  ordinary  draw-well  in  the  southern  court  of  the 
sanctuary,  but  from  the  hallowed  Pool  of  Siloam  out- 
side the  city  wall. 

But  the  Levitical  train  dispatched  on  that  errand 
returned  with  dismayed  faces  and  empty  urns. 

Siloam  would  take  no  part  in  the  wicked  thanksgiv- 
ing.    Its  waters  had  ceased  floxenng! " 


CHAPTER  XIII 

A    GOOD    SAMARITAN 

"  He  is  opening  his  eyes  !    He  lives!  " 

So  spoke  Vashti  as  she  knelt  beside  the  silent  and 
recumbent  form  of  Crispus. 

The  unmistakable  rapture  in  her  tone  seemed  to  dis- 
please the  woman  standing  beside  her. 

"Why  should  you  be  glad,  child?  He  is  an  enemy 
to  our  race." 

"  Mother !  "  said  the  girl,  reproachfully.  "  Did  he 
not  save  me  from  scourging?  " 

"  Is  that  any  reason  why  we  should  imperil  our  lives 
on  his  account?  We  shall  be  stoned  to  death  if  the 
Zealots  learn  that  we  are  hiding  a  Roman  in  our  house. 
!Better  for  us  that  he  were  dead." 

"  O,  mother,  hush !  lest  he  should  hear  your  unkind 
words." 

Crispus,  though  awake,  heard  nothing  of  this  con- 
versation, being  too  faint  and  confused  at  first  to  un- 
derstand anything.  Gradually,  with  the  clearing  of 
his  senses,  he  discovered  himself  to  be  lying  upon  the 
floor  of  a  low-roofed  chamber  that  had  latticed  win- 
dows, and  was  prettily  furnished  in  Oriental  style. 
He  wondered  what  place  it  was,  and  how  he  came  to 
be  there.  Then,  as  memory  began  to  assert  its  sway, 
he  recalled  the  scene  in  which  he  had  last  closed  his 
eyes — Eleazar's  glare  of  hatred,  the  swift  sword-flash, 
the  sharp  pang  of  pain,  and  the  sinking  into  darkness 
and  insensibility. 

He  had  expected  sudden  death  at  the  hands  of  Elea- 
zar;  but  clearly  he  was  not  dead  yet.  Some  person 
must  have  removed  his  supposed  corpse  from  the  pile 

160 


A  Good  Samaritan  161 

of  massacred  Romans,  and  who  could  that  person  be 
but  the  lovely  maiden  that  knelt  beside  him? 

He  tried  to  lift  himself  upon  one  elbow,  but  fell 
back  exhausted  by  the  effort.  There  was  no  strength 
left  in  him. 

"  Are  you  in  pain  ?  "  asked  Vashti. 

"  No ;  only  weak — weak !  "  he  said  in  a  voice  that 
startled  him ;  he  could  not  speak  above  a  hollow  whisper. 

Vashti  placed  her  left  arm  beneath  him ;  and,  lifting 
him,  she  put  a  cup  to  his  lips. 

"  Drink !  "  said  she. 

Crispus  drank,  of  what  he  knew  not — some  dark 
liquid — but  it  seemed  to  endow  him  with  new  life. 

"  Eat !  "  was  her  next  command. 

Submissive  as  a  child,  Crispus  ate  of  whatever  her 
hand  offered. 

"  And  now,"  continued  she,  "  sleep,  and  sleep  will 
give  you  strength." 

He  wanted  to  ask  questions,  but  Vashti  enjoined 
silence  by  placing  her  finger  upon  his  lip  in  so  pretty 
a  way  that  he  was  fain  to  do  her  bidding;  so,  closing 
his  eyes,  Crispus,  almost  against  his  will,  dropped  off 
to  sleep  again. 

His  sleep  extended  over  several  hours. 

On  waking  he  found  Vashti  by  his  side  again,  ready 
to  minister  to  his  wants ;  and,  as  these  wants  included 
a  desire  for  knowledge  on  certain  points,  she  proceeded 
to  enlighten  him. 

"  You  are  in  my  mother's  house,"  said  she.  "  This 
is  my  own  chamber ;  and  there,"  she  continued,  pointing 
with  pride  to  several  tiers  of  shelves  filled  with  papyrus 
rolls,  "  there  are  my  Greek  books." 

She  then  went  on  to  tell  him  how  he  came  to  be  there. 
After  the  massacre  of  the  Roman  garrison,  Josephus, 
at  her  request,  went  to  the  fierce  Eleazar  and  asked  for 
the  body  of  Crispus,  saying,  "  He  is  a  Roman  noble, 
known  to  me.  I  pray  you,  let  me  give  him  honorable 
burial."     Eleazar's  reply  was,  "  Take  him ;  I  war  not 


162  The  Boomed  City 

with  the  dead."  When  the  supposed  corpse  of  Crispus 
had  been  conveyed  to  her  house  Vashti  sorrowed  over 
it,  but  her  grief  suddenly  turned  to  joy  when  she  de- 
tected a  movement  of  his  Hps. 

By  a  happy  stroke  of  fortune — the  hand  of  God, 
Vashti  called  it — Eleazar's  sword  had  passed  through 
the  ribs  of  Crispus  without  injuring  the  vital  parts. 
His  seeming  death  was  a  swoon  due  to  loss  of  blood, 
a  loss  so  great  that  a  few  more  drops  might  have  ended 
the  matter.  There  was  life  in  him,  however — faint  it 
might  be — ^but  still  life,  life  that  with  due  care  might 
be  preserved.  And  so — for  they  durst  not  call  in  a 
physician,  lest  the  truth  should  become  known  to  the 
outside  world — she  and  her  mother,  who  had  some 
knowledge  of  the  healing  art,  had  dressed  his  wounds 
and  carried  him  to  this  chamber. 

Vashti  smiled  sweetly  when  Crispus  murmured  his 
gratitude.  "  Now,  I  pray  the  gods  that  the  Zealots 
may  not  discover  this,  your  kindness  to  me." 

Then  she  told  him  of  Metilius'  base  appeal  for  life, 
a  story  to  which  Crispus  listened  with  scorn. 

"  Rightly  named  Metilius — little  coward !  "  said  he. 
"  What  became  of  him.''  " 

"  The  Zealots  dismissed  him  with  contempt." 

"  What  a  life  his  will  be !  He'll  never  dare  show 
his  face  among  Romans  again." 

He  attempted  to  raise  himself,  but,  as  on  the  previous 
day,  found  that  he  was  too  weak  to  do  so. 

"  How  long  am  I  to  lie  here  ^  "  he  said  with  some- 
thing like  a  groan. 

"  Till  your  lost  blood  be  made  good." 

"When  will  that  be.?" 

And  though  pre-informed  by  her  mother  that  Cris- 
pus' return  to  vigor  was  likely  to  be  a  matter  of  weeks, 
Vashti  replied  with  a  cheerful  smile,  "  Not  many  days 
hence,"  justifying  herself  by  the  knowledge  that  to  put 
a  patient  in  a  desponding  mood  is  to  retard  his  re- 
covery. 


A  Good  Samaritan  163 

Vashti's  mother  was  named  Miriam,  an  elderly  dame, 
so  hard  and  sour  of  visage,  that  Crispus  could  but 
wonder  how  she  came  to  have  a  daughter  so  fair  and 
graceful.  He  formed  a  somewhat  adverse  opinion  of 
Miriam.  True,  she  visited  his  chamber  every  day ;  but, 
as  he  could  plainly  see,  her  inquiries  as  to  his  progress 
were  merely  perfunctory;  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he 
was  the  son  of  the  great  Roman  Legate  of  Syria,  she 
looked  upon  him  as  an  encumbrance — nay,  more,  as 
a  positive  danger,  in  view  of  Zealot  rule,  a  person  to 
be  got  rid  of  at  the  earliest  opportunity;  and  Crispus 
inwardlj'  chafed  at  being  unable  to  oblige  her  in  this 
respect.  A  Jewess  of  the  orthodox,  narrow-minded 
type,  she  was  out  of  s^^mpathy  with  Vashti's  ideals ; 
and  Crispus  mentally  blessed  the  late  Hyrcanus  in  that 
he  was  of  a  different  character  from  his  wife,  and  had 
given  his  daughter  an  Hellenic  as  well  as  an  Hebraic 
training. 

The  dissimilitude  betwixt  mother  and  daughter  had 
become  accentuated  of  late  owing  to  Vashti's  conver- 
sion to  Christianitj'.  When  questioned  on  this  last 
matter,  Vashti  acknowledged,  striving  the  while  to  hide 
her  tears,  that  the  change  of  faith  had  caused  Miriam 
to  become  strangely  hard  and  cold. 

It  was  perhaps  this  growing  spirit  of  estrangement 
on  the  part  of  Miriam  that  caused  Vashti  to  find  a 
solace  in  the  companionship  of  Crispus,  who,  though 
a  heathen,  seemed  more  in  sympathy  with  her  than  her 
own  Judaic  mother. 

Crispus  marveled  at  Vashti's  care  for  him,  marveled 
still  more  as  the  days  went  by  without  any  slackening 
of  her  ministrations.  An  Ideal  nurse,  she  seemed  bent 
on  doing  everything  within  her  power  to  render  pleas- 
ant his  enforced  inactivity.  Tactful  to  a  nicety,  she 
was  never  in  the  way  and  never  out  of  it.  Responsive 
to  the  passing  whims  of  her  patient — and  what  patient 
is  not  whimsical  at  times? — she  could  recognize  when 
he  wished  for  solitude,  and  would  leave  him  to  himself; 


164  The  Boomed  City 

if  he  were  desirous  of  conversation,  she  was  ever  ready 
to  meet  his  desire.  On  learning  that  he  had  a  great 
liking  for  Herodotus,  she  drew  that  charming,  old- 
world  historian  from  her  little  library,  and  read  to  him 
day  by  day,  seldom  failing  to  illumine  the  subject  with 
interesting  comments  of  her  own ;  and  once,  at  even- 
tide, she  took  her  harp  and  sang  in  a  voice  so  sweet 
that  Crispus  begged  for  a  repetition  of  the  pleasure ; 
and,  ever  after  that,  as  the  shades  of  twilight  fell,  she 
would  sing  to  him  from  that  cycle  of  psalms  which, 
though  he  knew  it  not,  are  destined  to  be  sung  till  the 
end  of  time. 

It  puzzled  Crispus  that  Vashti  should  so  interest  her- 
self in  him.  Was  this  interest  the  expression  merely 
of  her  gratitude,  for  the  service  he  had  rendered  her  in 
the  synagogue,  or  was  it  the  expression  of  a  more 
tender  sentiment?  Was  Vashti  seeking  to  win  his  love? 
The  thought  troubled  him.  It  was  hard  to  be  com- 
pelled to  crush  this  rising  desire  on  her  part — that  is, 
supposing  it  existed — for  however  pure,  attractive,  and 
beautiful  Vashti  might  be,  she  was  not  for  him ;  he  must 
remain  faithful  to  the  unknown  Athenais,  not  only 
because  it  was  a  point  of  honor  for  a  Cestius  to  keep 
faith,  but  also  because  his  ambition  could  not  easily 
forego  the  kingdom  dependent  upon  his  mysterious 
marriage. 

Vashti,  it  seemed,  had  a  little  brother,  a  child  of 
eighteen  months.  One  morning  she  brought  him  with 
some  diffidence  into  the  chamber,  and,  finding  that 
Crispus  did  not  object  to  his  presence,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  derived  considerable  amusement  from  his  in- 
fantine attempts  at  talking,  she  brought  him  every 
day ;  and  though  Vashti  was  "  as  learned  as  Minerva  " 
— Crispus'  own  expression — she  proved  herself  in  other 
respects  a  veritable  tom-boy,  playing  at  "  hide  and 
seek,"  and  romping  round  the  room  till  the  child  fairly 
shrieked  with  delight.  It  was  a  new  feature  in  her 
character,  and  one  that  pleased  Crispus. 


A  Good  Samaritan  165 

Tired  at  last  of  play  the  little  fellow  clambered  upon 
his  sister's  knee,  and  nestled  against  her  breast. 

Vashti's  remark  that  he  was  called  Arad  led  to  a 
talk  upon  personal  names  and  their  meanings ;  and, 
of  course,  Crispus  soon  fastened  his  attention  upon 
her  own  name. 

"  Vashti  is  a  Persian  word  said  to  mean  beautiful," 
she  replied  with   a  little  blush. 

"  You  could  not  change  it  for  one  more  appropri- 
ate," remarked  Crispus,  "  unless  it  were " 

He  paused.  A  wild  suspicion  had  suddenly  taken 
possession  of  him,  a  suspicion  that  set  his  pulses  thrill- 
ing with  a  delicious  pleasure. 

"  What  new  name  would  you  suggest  .^  "  asked  Vashti 
with  a  wondering  smile. 

"What  do  you  say  to  Athenais?"  he  asked,  watch- 
ing her  keenly  as  he  spoke. 

Was  he  mistaken,  or  did  Vashti  give  a  start  as  if 
she  recognized  the  hidden  purport  of  the  question.'' 
Her  surprise,  if  such  it  were,  was  quickly  under  con- 
trol. She  looked  at  him  with  eyes  calm  and  unfathom- 
able in  their  expression. 

"  No  true  Hebrew  maiden  would  like  thai  name." 

"Wherein  doth  it  offend.?" 

"  It  is  derived  from  the  name  of  a  Grecian  god- 
dess." 

"  And  therefore  suitable  for  one  as  learned  as 
Athene." 

Vashti  smilingly  shook  her  golden  tresses  at  the  com- 
pliment. 

"  I  do  not  like  the  name,"  she  said,  as  she  gently 
rocked  Arad  to  sleep. 

So  far  Crispus'  experiment  was  a  failure.  There  was 
nothing  in  her  manner  to  suggest  the  hypothesis  that 
she  had  been  the  veiled  lady  of  Beth-tamar.  Still, 
there  seemed  to  be  a  sort  of  shadowy  connection  between 
her  and  the  unknown  Athenais.  He  reasoned  thus: — 
Vashti  was  very  like  the  statue  of  one,  Pythodoris ;  that 


166  The  Doomed  City 

statue  was  the  gift  of  Polemo ;  Polemo  was  he  who  had 
arranged  the  wedding  of  Athenais. 

Crispus  resolved  to  proceed  warily. 

"  You  appear  to  be  well  versed  in  Grecian  history," 
said  he.     "  Can  you  tell  me  who  Py thodoris  was  ?  " 

Vashti  became  lost  in  thought  for  a  few  moments, 
and  then  replied : 

"  There  was  a  queen  of  Pontus  who  bore  that  name. 
She  died  about  thirty  years  ago," 

"Any  relation  to  the  present  king,  Polemo?" 

"  His   mother." 

"  Was  she  a  beautiful  woman.?  " 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know,"  laughed  Vashti.  "  Why 
do  you  ask.?  " 

"  There  was  a  statue  of  her  in  the  Prsetorium." 

"  Then  if  you've  seen  it  you  ought  to  know  whether 
she  were  beautiful." 

"  The  statue  was  very  like  you." 

"  Oh !  then  she  wasn't  very  beautiful." 

"  The  statue  was  so  like  you  that  at  first  sight  I 
thought  it  was  meant  for  nobody  else  till  the  name 
Pythodoris,  carved  on  the  pedestal,  corrected  my 
error." 

Vashtl's  eyes  opened  wide  in  wonder.  She  could  as- 
sign no  reason  why  the  statue  of  Pythodoris  should 
resemble  herself. 

"  And  she  was  the  mother  of  the  present  king,  you 
say.?     Have  you  ever  seen  this  Polemo.?  " 

Vashti  replied  in  the  negative. 

"  But  he  was  present  at  the  banquet  of  Florus." 

"  Then  I  suppose  I  must  have  seen  him  without  know- 
ing him,"  replied  Vashti ;  and,  having  succeeded  in 
hushing  her  little  brother  to  sleep,  she  carried  him 
gently  from  the  room. 

Something  like  a  sigh  escaped  from  Crispus  as  he 
realized  that  since  Vashti  did  not  know  King  Polemo 
she  could  not  have  been  the  veiled  lady  of  Beth-tamar. 

Next   day   when    Crispus   suggested    that   it   might 


A  Good  Samaritan  167 

hasten  his  recovery  if  he  could  breathe  the  purer  air 
of  the  roof,  Vashti  and  her  mother,  hfting  the  cords 
at  the  head  and  foot  of  his  pallet,  carried  it,  albeit 
with  some  difficulty,  up  the  short  staircase  and  de- 
posited it  upon  the  flat  roof  beneath  the  shade  of  a 
trellis  overhung  with  vine-leaves,  so  placing  the  pallet 
as  to  prevent  him  from  being  overlooked  by  the  occu- 
pants of  the  neighboring  houses ;  while  at  the  same 
time  an  opening  in  the  parapet  near  by  enabled  him, 
whenever  he  chose  to  raise  himself  upon  his  elbow,  to 
observe  a  good  deal  of  what  was  going  on  in  the  streets 
below. 

All  Jerusalem  was  resounding  with  the  preparations 
for  war.  Though  the  aged  and  the  wise  might  shake 
their  heads  gravely  and  hold  aloof  from  the  revolu- 
tionary movement,  the  young  and  the  unthinking,  elated 
at  seeing  the  last  vestige  of  Roman  rule  swept  from 
the  capital,  flung  in  their  lot  with  the  Zealots  and  spent 
a  considerable  poi'tion  of  each  day  in  the  performance 
of  military  exercises  under  captains  appointed  by  Elea- 
zar  and  Simon.  The  city  walls  were  being  repaired 
and  strengthened,  the  very  women  and  children  labor- 
ing enthusiastically  in  the  task.  The  air  rang  with 
the  beating  of  steel  upon  the  anvil,  the  steel  that  was 
to  be  dyed  deep  in  Roman  blood !  At  night  Ophel  was 
one  red  glow  with  the  light  that  came  from  the  various 
forges. 

"  They  have  hewn  down  the  golden  eagle  from  the 
gate  of  the  temple,"  said  Vashti. 

"  They  cannot  take  him  from  the  sky,  however,"  re- 
plied Crispus,  pointing  to  a  magnificent  specimen  that 
was  sailing  aloft  with  slow  and  majestic  motion.  Sud- 
denly, this  eagle  drooped  its  pinions,  and,  descending 
like  a  plummet,  alighted  upon  the  parapet  just  above 
the  head  of  Crispus. 

Vashti  started  back  with  a  little  scream ;  then,  by 
motioning  with  her  hands,  she  tried  to  make  the  eagle 
fly  off;  he  took  no  notice  of  her,  however,  but  sat  with 


168  The  Doomed  City 

unruffled  plumage,  the  embodiment  of  majesty  and 
gravity.  Try  as  she  would  Vashti  could  not  get  the 
eagle  to  stir,  but,  finding  that  he  remained  quiet  and 
showed  no  disposition  to  attack  either  Crispus  or  her- 
self, she  relinquished  her  efforts  and  resumed  her  con- 
versation, timorously  glancing  from  time  to  time  at 
the  eagle,  which  kept  its  post  as  though  it  were  some 
faithful  sentinel  appointed  to  watch  over  the  patient. 

This  little  incident  was  not  without  significance  for 
Crispus,  whose  mind,  in  common  with  other  minds  of 
that  day,  saw  an  omen  in  anything  out  of  the  common. 
At  the  very  moment  when  Eleazar  was  threatening  him 
with  death,  he  had  appealed  to  sovereign  Jupiter. 
Now,  the  eagle  being  the  symbol  of  that  deity  as  well 
as  of  the  Roman  empire,  he  could  not  help  interpreting 
its  presence  as  a  heaven-sent  assurance  that  Jove  and 
the  legions  would  effect  his  safety.  Aware,  however, 
that  Vashti  had  no  faith  in  his  gods,  he  kept  this  opinion 
to  himself. 

In  the  evening  the  eagle  flew  off.  The  two  watched 
till  it  became  a  mere  black  speck  upon  the  glowing 
gold  of  the  western  sky — watched  till  it  faded  from 
view. 

"  It  will  return  on  the  morrow,"  said  Crispus  con- 
fidently. 

Sure  enough,  next  morning  the  eagle  came  winging 
its  way  eastward ;  and,  as  before,  it  alighted  upon  the 
parapet  above  the  head  of  Crispus,  as  if  bent  on  renew- 
ing its  watch.  Vashti,  grown  somewhat  accustomed 
to  its  presence,  viewed  it  now  with  less  apprehension, 
and  made  no  attempt  to  repel  it. 

"  The  money  of  the  new  government,"  said  she,  with 
a  sad  smile,  exhibiting  a  shekel,  one  of  those  pieces 
known  to  the  Jews  of  after  ages  as  "  The  money  of 
danger,"  and  now,  by  reason  of  their  rarity,  eagerly 
sought  by  numismatists. 

"  If  their  fighting  prove  no  better  than  their  coin- 
age, it  will  go  ill  with  them,"  remarked  Crispus,  who, 


A  Good  Samaritan  169 

on  closely  inspecting  the  supposed  shekel,  saw  that  it 
was  in  reality  a  Roman  coin  that  had  recently  received 
in  the  Jewish  mint  a  fresh  stamp — namely,  that  of  a 
palm  branch  encircled  with  Hebraic  characters,  whose 
signification  was,  "  The  first  year  of  the  freedom  of 
Zion." 

So  imperfectly,  however,  had  the  work  been  executed 
that  the  original  effigy,  the  head  of  Nero,  with  its 
Latin  inscription,  was  discernible  beneath  the  Jewish 
impression. 

"  They  try  to  efface  Ccesar,  but  fail,"  said  Crispus. 
"  Good !     I  accept  the  omen." 

At  eventide  the  eagle  flew  off,  returning  again  next 
morning.  On  the  fourth  day,  however,  it  did  not  ap- 
pear, nor  on  any  subsequent  day. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

"  THOU  WILT  NEVER  TAKE  THE  CITY  " 

The  moon  of  a  lovely  autumnal  night  silvered  the 
sleeping  Roman  camp  that  lay  at  the  entrance  of  "  the 
going  up  to  Beth-horon."  Not  a  sound  disturbed  the 
silence,  save  the  light  tread  of  the  vigilant  sentinels 
pacing  their  rounds. 

The  array  of  black  tents,  glittering  arms,  and  lofty 
standards,  occupied  a  vast  area,  square  in  shape,  and 
defended  on  all  sides  by  an  earthen  rampart,  and  an 
outer  trench  filled  with  water  from  a  neighboring 
stream — defenses  made  by  a  three-hours'  labor  with 
mattock  and  spade,  the  whole  army  having  toiled  at 
the  task.  No  matter  how  short  their  stay  in  a  place 
— and  the  camping  on  the  present  occasion  was  for 
one  night  only — the  Roman  legionaries  would  never, 
at  least  in  a  hostile  country,  take  their  sleep  till  they 
had  secured  themselves  from  attack  in  the  manner  just 
described.  Four  gates,  facing  the  four  points  of  the 
compass,  gave  entrance  to  the  camp,  whose  countless 
lines  of  tents  crossing  each  other  at  right  angles  looked 
with  the  intervening  spaces  like  the  streets  and  squares 
of  a  well-planned  city. 

This  military  force  was  under  the  command  of  Ces- 
tius  Gallus,  imperial  Legate  of  Syria,  and  its  object 
was  the  restoration  to  Roman  rule  of  the  rebellious  city 
of  Jerusalem,  sixteen  miles  distant. 

The  tent  of  the  general-in-chief,  or,  to  employ  the 
Latin  term,  the  prastorium,  was  pitched,  according  to 
immemorial  custom,  by  the  gate  nearest  to  the  enemy, 
in  this  case  the  southern  one,  as  being  on  the  side  to- 
wards Jerusalem. 

This    tent,    furnished    in    the    simplest    fashion    and 

170 


"  Thou  Wilt  Never  Take  the  City  "   171 

lighted  by  a  lamp  pendent  from   the   roof,   contained 
but  one  occupant,  the  Legate. 

He  was  a  man  of  about  sixty  years,  grave  and  sol- 
dierly; his  face  at  ordinary  times  had  a  look  that 
showed  him  to  be,  in  spite  of  his  military  profession, 
a  man  of  a  humane  and  kindly  disposition;  but  now, 
and  for  many  days  past,  there  had  been  in  his  aspect 
something  so  stern  and  cold  that  the  soldier  about  to 
ask  a  favor  of  his  general  shrank  away,  reserving  the 
matter  for  another  time. 

The  sudden  entering  of  a  man  unannounced  caused 
the  Legate  to  look  up  with  a  frown. 

"Who  comes  here.?"  said  he,  shading  his  eyes  with 
his  hand. 

"  A  wise  man  and  a  fool." 

"How  can  that  be,  royal  Polemo.?"  said  Cestius, 
smoothmg  his  brows  as  he  recognized  his  visitor. 

"  He  who  is  not  a  fool  at  times  is  never  a  wise  man," 
returned  the  Pontic  king,  taking  his  seat  with  an  air 
that  proved  him  to  be  on  familiar  terms  with  the 
Legate. 

"  You  have  returned  from  Achaia  very  quickly,"  said 
Cestius. 

"  Twelve  days  on  the  sea  going  and  coming.  I 
doubt  whether  the  double  voyage  were  ever  performed 
in  so  short  a  time.  I  found  the  god  "—this  with  a 
sneer — "  at  Olympia." 

"  You  told  him  of  the  revolt.?  " 

"  All  that  I  knew  of  it." 

"  And  his  commands  ?  " 

Polemo  drew  forth  a  scroll  of  papyrus,  secured  with 
red  wax  and  impressed  with  a  seal  which  Cestius  knew 
to  be  that  of  Nero.  Breaking  the  seal,  the  Legate 
read  the  missive,  first  silently,  and  then,  for  the  benefit 
of  Polemo,  aloud. 

"  Our  faithful  servant,  Cestius  Gallus,  is  herewith 
granted  full  liberty  to  deal  with  the  rebellious  city  of 


172  The  Doomed  City 

Jerusalem   in  whatever  way   he   deemeth  best   for  the 
interests  of  the  Roman  republic. 

"  Given  on  this,  the  eighth  of  the  Ides  of  September, 
in  the  twelfth  year  of  our  reign.      Nero  Augustus." 

"Liberty  to  deal  Avith  the  city  as  I  please.''"  ex- 
claimed Cestius,  a  fierce  fire  sparkling  from  his  eyes  and 
a  color  lighting  up  his  hitherto  sallow  cheek.  "  Delenda 
est  Hierosolyina!  Not  a  man  in  it  shall  live.  Its 
women  and  children  shall  be  sold  into  slavery.  I  will 
give  their  temple  to  the  flames  and  the  city  to  destruc- 
tion. Not  one  stone  of  it  shall  be  left  standing  upon 
another.  Jerusalem  shall  be  blotted  from  the  face  of 
the  earth." 

This  threatened  doom  being  the  very  end  for  which 
Polemo  had  been  clandestinely  working  during  a  space 
of  many  years  was  received  by  liim  with  secret  rapture ; 
nevertheless  he  could  not  help  wondering  why  Cestius, 
usually  humane  in  his  dealings,  should  have  become 
animated  by  a  spirit  so  merciless.  But  now,  as  Polemo 
noticed,  what  he  had  not  noticed  before,  namely,  that 
the  Legate  was  wearing  a  black  pallium,  the  emblem 
of  mourning,  he  was  seized  with  a  sudden  suspicion. 

"  I  am  the  last  of  my  race,"  said  Cestius,  answering 
the  question  expressed  by  the  other's  eyes.  "  There  is 
no  son  to  carry  on  my  name." 

"  Say  not  that  Crispus  is  dead ! "  gasped  Polemo, 
whose  look  of  grief  could  not  have  been  keener  if  he, 
and  not  Cestius,  had  been  the  father.  "  Crispus  dead ! 
Then  my  plan  for  the  humiliation  of — Oh,  it  cannot 
be!     How.?     When?" 

"  You  shall  learn.  'Tis  the  time  for  it,"  said  the 
Legate  with  a  glance  at  a  clepsydra  that  stood  on 
the  table  before  him. 

"  The  time  ?  "  repeated  Polemo  wonderingly. 

"  Every  night  at  this  hour  I  strengthen  my 
spirit  in  its  purpose  of  vengeance  by  hearing  anew 
from    the    mouth    of    an    eye-witness    the    story    of    a 


''Thou  TVilt  Never  Take  the  City''   173 

massacre  wrought  by  the  lying  oath  of  a  cowardly 
priest." 

Even  as  he  spoke  the  curtain  draping  the  entrance 
of  the  tent  was  lifted,  and  there  entered  two  spearmen 
leading  between  them  a  captive  whose  dress  and  phys- 
iognomy bore  unmistakable  evidence  of  his  Jewish 
origin. 

"  A  deserter  from  the  city.  Now,  fellow,  tell  thy 
tale." 

Frequent  repetition  had  made  the  captive  fluent  in 
his  narration,  so  with  an  unfaltering  voice  and  in  a 
simple  style  he  gave  a  full  account  of  the  calamitous 
ending  to  the  brave  defense  of  the  Praetorium. 

"Art  certain  that  Eleazar's  was  a  fatal  stab.''" 
asked  Polemo. 

"  It  could  not  have  been  otherwise ;  he  dealt  stroke 
upon  stroke,"  replied  the  Jew,  who  saw  no  reason  why 
he  should  not  heighten  the  story  of  Eleazar's  cruelty. 
Lives  there  a  man  who  can  relate  an  event  exactly  as 
it  happened.'' 

"  Woe  to  Eleazar !  "  said  Cestius.  "  'Twere  better 
for  him  had  he  never  been  born." 

"  What  became  of  the  bodies  of  those  that  were  mas- 
sacred.''" asked  Polemo. 

"  They  were  taken  outside  the  city  to  a  place  called 
Aceldama,  where  it  is  the  custom  to  bury  strangers. 
A  trench  was  dug,  and  the  corpses  were  flung  into  it, 
one  upon  another." 

"You  saw  the  body  of  Crispus  treated  thus?" 

And  the  man  stating,  not  what  had  happened,  but 
what  he  fancied  had  happened,  answered  in  the  affirma- 
tive. 

"  Flung  into  a  common  grave !  Lost  to  me  for- 
ever ! "  murmured  Cestius.  "  I  am  denied  even  the 
melancholy  consolation  of  taking  home  his  ashes." 

With  the  morning  light  the  Roman  army,  having 
breakfasted,  prepared  to  resume  its  march. 


174  The  Doomed  City 

At  the  first  shrill  sound  of  the  trumpet  the  tents 
fell  flat  to  the  ground;  at  the  second,  which  followed 
at  a  measured  interval,  they  were  piled  with  other 
baggage  upon  wagons  and  beasts  of  burden ;  at  the 
third  signal  the  march  began,  the  vanguard  filing  off 
in  stately  order,  eight  abreast.  Soon  the  whole  of 
the  vast  army  was  in  motion,  winding  like  a  glittering, 
scaly  serpent  up  the  mountain  pass  that  led  towards 
Jerusalem.  Mounted  scouts  pushed  on  ahead  for  the 
purpose  of  forestalling  those  ambuscades  which  are  the 
delight  of  an  Oriental  people. 

Cestius,  who  rode  in  the  center  of  the  host  with  King 
Polemo  by  his  side,  became  annoyed  at  the  irregular 
movements  on  the  part  of  the  columns  composing  the 
vanguard,  who  for  a  time  would  maintain  a  march  so 
brisk  as  to  leave  a  long  interval  between  themselves 
and  the  central  division,  and  then,  without  any  ap- 
parent cause,  would  come  to  a  dead  halt,  moving  on 
again  a  few  minutes  afterwards.  At  last  a  stop  was 
made  of  such  duration  that  it  brought  the  whole  of 
the  army  following  to  a  standstill,  thus  tending  to 
create  a  degree  of  confusion  not  often  witnessed  in  the 
Roman  ranks.  Unable  any  longer  to  control  his  im- 
patience, Cestius,  setting  spurs  to  his  steed,  galloped 
forward,  bent  on  administering  a  sharp  reproof  to  the 
tribune  in  charge  of  the  vanguard. 

On  being  questioned  as  to  the  cause  of  this  long  halt 
that  officer  referred  his  angry  general  to  the  tall  and 
stately  figure  of  a  priest,  standing  a  few  paces  in  front 
of  the  first  rank  and  bearing  in  his  hand  the  short 
lituus  or  augurial  staff.  It  was  Theomantes,  priest 
of  Jupiter  Caesarius,  the  one-time  councilor  of  Florus, 
but  now  acting,  and  that  at  Cestius'  own  wish,  as  the 
official  augur  of  the  Roman  army.  The  Legate  had 
a  high  regard  for  him,  but  when  Theomantes,  presum- 
ing on  this  regard,  ventured  to  check  the  advance  of 
the  whole  army,  he  was  undoubtedly  usurping  the  au- 
thority of  the  general,  an  act  not  to  be  tolerated. 


"Thou  Wilt  Never  Take  the  City"   175 

"How  now,  Theomantes? "  cried  Cestius  angrily. 
"Why  this  delay?" 

"  Seest  thou  yon  eagle?  "  said  Theomantes,  pointing 
to  an  eagle  in  front  of  them,  poised  apparently  motion- 
less in  the  air. 

"I  see  it.     And  what  then?" 

"  'Tis  the  divine  director  of  our  march.  When  it 
advances,  we  advance ;  when  it  stops,  we  stop ;  for  so 
will  it  be  to  our  advantage." 

"  And  when  it  retreats,  I  suppose  we  must  retreat," 
sneered  Cestius.  "  Shall  a  father,  bent  on  the  sacred 
duty  of  avenging  his  son,  be  stayed  by  a  fowl  of  the 
air?  Fellow,  thy  bow  and  arrow,"  he  cried,  addressing 
a  Cretan  archer  that  stood  by ;  and,  having  received 
what  he  had  asked  for,  Cestius  fitted  a  shaft  to  the 
string,  and,  taking  aim  at  the  eagle,  let  fly. 

The  shot  was  a  good  one ;  pierced  by  the  arrow, 
the  eagle  dropped  to  the  earth  like  a  falling 
stone. 

"  Fools !  "  exclaimed  the  Legate  scornfully,  as  he 
noticed  the  dismayed  looks  of  the  superstitious  soldiers, 
"  exercise  your  reason.  If  yon  eagle  had  the  power 
of  foreseeing  the  future,  would  it  not  have  kept  far 
hence,  and  not  have  flown  hither  to  meet  its  death  by 
the  arrow  of  Cestius?" 

"  Cestius  Gallus,"  said  the  augur,  solemnly,  "  thou 
hast  slain  the  messenger  sent  by  Jove  to  direct  our 
march.  The  wrath  of  the  gods  will  be  upon  thee  for 
this.     Thou  xvllt  never  take  the  city.^^ 

With  this  he  broke  his  augurial  staff  in  two,  and 
cast  the  pieces  at  Cestius'  feet ;  then,  walking  to  the 
roadside,  he  seated  himself  upon  a  crag;  and,  covering 
both  head  and  face  with  his  mantle,  in  token  of  grief, 
he  added:  "Here  will  I  abide  till  I  see  thee  returning 
in  headlong  confusion." 

"  I  will  prove  thee  a  liar,"  said  the  Legate 
fiercely.  "  Forward !  "  he  continued,  addressing  the 
vanguard. 


176  The  Doomed  City 

The  Jews,  gazing  from  the  lofty  ramparts  of  their 
city,  beheld  with  secret  fear  the  drilled  legions  of  Rome 
ascending  and  descending  "  the  hills  that  stand  about 
Jerusalem,"  and  stationing  themselves  at  every  stra- 
tegic point ;  their  eyes,  turn  them  which  way  they 
would,  saw  nothing  but  the  glitter  of  the  eagles ;  all 
retreat  was  cut  off;  the  city  was  girt  with  a  ring  of 
steel. 

As  the  house  of  Miriam,  widow  of  Hyrcanus,  was  one 
of  the  highest  on  Mount  Zion,  and  as  Mount  Zion  was 
the  highest  of  the  four  hills  on  which  Jerusalem  was 
built,  it  follows  that  the  military  display  outside  the 
city  could  not  escape  the  notice  of  Crispus  as  he  lay 
upon  the  roof.  The  sight  filled  him  with  patriotic 
pride,  a  pride  enhanced  by  the  knowledge  that  it  was 
his  father  who  led  that  mighty  host;  he  would  not  fail 
in  the  work ;  Rome  would  again  vindicate  her  suprem- 
acy ;  and  Eleazar  and  the  false,  cowardly  crew  that 
had  taken  part  in  the  barbarous  massacre  of  the  garri- 
sons would  receive  their  merited  doom.  A  pity  he, 
Crispus,  must  lie  here,  unable  to  join  in  the  coming 
fight ! 

Beside  his  pallet  sat  the  gentle  Vashti,  her  eyes  on 
the  Roman  host. 

"  Your  father  will  not  take  the  city,"  said  she  quietly ; 
"  at  least,  not  at  this  time." 

Crispus,  almost  startled  by  her  air  of  certainty,  asked 
what  reason  she  had  for  her  belief. 

"  There  are  in  this  city,"  replied  Vashti,  "  a  multi- 
tude of  Christians  over  whom  our  Divine  Master  watch- 
eth,  for  He  is  not  dead  but  liveth  eternally.  Think 
you  that  He  will  permit  His  saints  to  fall  by  the  sword 
of  the  Romans  ?  I  trow  not ;  those  guilty  Jews  who 
have  hardened  their  heart  against  Him  will  receive 
their  just  doom ;  but  of  His  disciples  He  saith,  *  There 
shall  not  a  hair  of  your  head  perish.'  And  therefore 
that  we  might  know  when  the  time  is  come  for  us 
to  quit  the  city,  He,  while  on  earth,  gave  us  this  sign." 


"  Thou  Wilt  Never  Take  the  City  "   177 

Vashtl  drew  from  her  bosom  a  scroll  of  papyrus  writ- 
ten in  Greek  characters,  and  read  from  it  the  follow- 
ing sentence :  "  '  WJien  ye  shall  see  Jerusalem  compassed 
•with  armies,  then  let  them  that  are  in  the  midst  of  it 
depart  out.'  " 

"  How  can  they  depart  out  with  a  hostile  army 
camping  all  round?  "  asked  Crispus,  captiously. 

"How,  indeed?  Therefore  it  is  necessary  that  this 
hostile  army  should  be  withdrawn  for  a  time." 

"  In  order  to  give  the  Christians  the  opportunity  to 
escape ! "  said  Crispus  with  a  touch  of  sarcasm  in  his 
voice. 

Yes,  that  was  her  belief,  and  she  had  no  other  reason 
for  it  than  a  supposed  prophetical  passage  in  a  book 
she  called  the  Evangel!  This  was  not  the  first  time 
(for  she  had  often  talked  to  him  about  her  religion) 
that  Vashti  had  sought  to  connect  her  Divine  Teacher 
with  the  course  of  contemporary  events.  In  her  view 
He  was  the  central  figure  of  the  world's  history ;  old 
times  pointed  to  His  coming;  new  times  were  to  flow 
from  it.  Present  events  were  taking  place  for  no  other 
reason  than  to  advance  the  interests  of  the  new  re- 
ligion. The  general  Cestius  was  merely  a  passive  in- 
strument in  the  hands  of  the  deified  Galiljean ;  his  march 
to  Jerusalem  was  not  to  vindicate  the  majesty  of  Rome, 
but  to  serve  as  a  Divine  sign  to  the  Christians,  and, 
having  plaj^ed  the  part  allotted  to  him,  he  was  to 
march  back  again  without  taking  the  city !  Crispus 
could  scarcely  listen  with  patience  to  a  theory  so  fan- 
tastical. 

A  Cestius  to  retreat  ?     Go  to ! 

However,  as  Vashti  quietly  remarked  in  answer  to  his 
arguments,  the  event  would  decide. 

"  Is  your  father  a  cruel  man?  "  continued  she. 

"  Quite  the  contrary ;  for  a  soldier  he  is  said  to  be 
too  merciful." 

"  Yet  he  has  vowed  to  slay  every  man  in  the  city, 
and  to  sell  the  women  and  children  into  slavery." 


178  The  Doomed  City 

"  How  know  you  that?  " 

"  It  is  shouted  at  us  by  the  enemy  whenever  they 
draw  near  the  wall,  and  not  by  the  common  soldiers 
only :  the  centurions  mock  us  with  the  same  doom." 

"  He  thinks  me  dead,  and  hence  his  wrath.  'Tis  a 
pity  he  should  be  in  error.  How  it  would  gladden  him 
to  know  that  I  am  alive!  Is  there  no  way  of  com- 
municating with  him?  " 

Vashti  reflected. 

"  I  think,"  said  she,  "  I  can  contrive  to  let  him  know 
that  you  are  living." 

"How?"  asked  Crispus,  eagerly. 

"  If  you  will  write  a  letter  I  will  try  to  have  it  con- 
veyed to  him.  I  know  a  Christian  youth,  Heber  by 
name,  whom  I  have  but  to  command,  and  he  will  per- 
form this  service  for  me.  His  house  is  upon  the  city 
wall.  To  get  to  the  Roman  camp  he  has  but  to  lower 
himself  by  a  rope.  He  can  carry  your  message,  but 
whether  he  can  bring  one  back " 

"  No.  'Twill  be  a  dangerous  business  to  be  seen 
returning.  Let  him  remain  in  the  Roman  camp.  And 
tell  him  that  whatever  reward  he  likes  to  ask  for — in 
reason — my  delighted  father  will  give.  And  now  for 
stylus  and  papyrus." 

Vashti  flew  to  procure  writing  materials,  and  Cris- 
pus, sitting  up,  proceeded  to  indite  the  following 
epistle : 

"  To  the  most  excellent  of  fathers,  greeting. 

"  Cast  off  your  black  pallium,  and  make  a  sacrifice 
to  Jupiter  the  Saviour,  for  I,  your  son  Crispus,  am 
not,  as  you  suppose,  in  Hades,  but  am  lodged  with  the 
widow  Miriam,  whose  house  is  in  the  street  of  Millo, 
abiding  secretly  for  fear  of  the  Zealots.  That  I  have 
not  sought  to  escape  to  the  Roman  camp  is  due  to 
my  enfeebled  frame,  which  would  not  be  living  at  all, 
but  for  the  care  and  attention  of  a  sweet  maiden  named 
Vashti." 

"  You  must  delete  the  word  dulcis,"  said  Vashti. 


"  Thou  Wilt  Never  Take  the  City  "    179 

But  this  Crispus  declined  to  do. 

"  Therefore  should  you  take  the  city  " — he  put  this 
hypothetically  in  deference  to  Vashti's  belief — "  you 
must,  as  owing  your  son's  life  to  her,  deal  leniently 
with  the  nation  to  which  she  belongs,  and  show  the 
mercy  that  pertaineth  to  an  honorable  Roman  general. 
May  wc  soon  meet.     Vale!  " 

He  added  the  date,  together  with  a  strange  sign  that 
puzzled  Vashti. 

"  A  private  mark,"  he  explained.  "  'Twill  convince 
him  of  the  authenticity  of  this  little  epistle." 

Later  in  the  day  Vashti  went  off  with  the  letter ; 
and,  returning  after  an  interval  of  two  hours,  was  able 
to  announce  that  Heber  had  undertaken  the  charge, 
but  from  due  regard  to  safety  he  would  not  make  the 
attempt  till  after  nightfall. 

Evidently  he  kept  his  word,  for  when  Vashti  visited 
his  house  next  day  his  mystified  kinsfolk  declared  that 
he  had  vanished  during  the  night,  deserting  apparently 
to  the  Roman  camp,  since  they  had  discovered  a  rope 
hanging  from  the  window  of  his  room. 

Crispus  from  his  place  on  the  roof  continued  to 
watch  with  a  lively  interest  the  doings  of  the  Romans. 

Three  days  were  spent  by  the  Legate  in  perfecting 
his  arrangements  for  the  taking  of  the  city ;  on  the 
fourth  day  he  advanced,  delivering  his  attack  from  the 
north. 

For  five  days  the  fighting  went  on,  very  much  to 
the  advantage  of  the  Romans ;  at  the  close  of  the  sixth 
da}'  they  had  captured  certain  strategic  points — a  cap- 
ture that  made  it  manifest,  even  to  those  citizens  least 
experienced  in  military  affairs,  that  the  morrow  would 
bring  with  it  the  fall  of  the  city. 

Crispus,  who  had  watched  the  operations  with  the 
trained  eye  of  a  soldier,  remarked  with  filial  pride: 
"  ]My  father  will  do  in  one  week  what  took  the  great 
Pompey  twelve  weeks." 

But  Vashti  shook  her  pretty  head  mournfully. 


180  The  Boomed  City 

That  same  night  the  remnant  of  the  Sanhedrim  and 
the  captains  of  the  Zealots  met  in  the  hall  Gazith  to 
deliberate  upon  their  desperate  situation.  There  was 
scarcely  a  man  among  them  but  believed  the  doom  of 
the  city  to  be  a  matter  of  a  few  hours  only. 

The  once  fierce  Eleazar  trembled  now,  remembering 
that  it  was  his  hand  that  had  struck  down  the  Legate's 
son.  Though  Cestius  should  be  never  so  merciful  to 
the  rebels,  there  was  one  person  at  least  whom  he  was 
certain  not  to  spare. 

Gloom  and  despondency  marked  every  face  but  that 
of  Simon ;  he  alone  maintained  a  bold  front. 

"  To-morrow  about  this  time,"  said  he,  "  Cestius 
will  be  in  full  retreat." 

"  Yes,  if  the  Messiah  should  descend  from  heaven 
to  help  us,"  said  Matthias,  the  high  priest. 

"  Earthly  means  will  suffice." 

"What  is  your  plan,  for  you  evidently  have  one.?" 

"  Simply  this ;  I  shall  go  to  Cestius  and  shall  say 
to  him,  '  Cestius,  withdraw  your  legions,'  and  he  will 
withdraw  them." 

"Have  we  need  of  madmen?"  said  Matthias,  turn- 
ing scornfully  to  Eleazar,  "  that  you  admit  this  fellow 
to  our  councils?  " 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  TRIUMPH  OF  SIMON 

Night  melted  into  the  golden  light  of  a  lovely  morn- 
ing- 

The  Jewish  multitude,  pale-eyed  and  anxious,  trooped 
to  the  city  walls. 

To  their  surprise  the  encircling  lines  of  legionaries 
that  had  been  posted  to  the  east,  and  to  the  west,  and 
to  the  south,  of  the  city  were  all  in  motion,  taking  their 
way  to  the  camp  at  Scopus. 

Conjecturing  what  this  new  movement  should  mean, 
the  Jews  came  to  the  conclusion  that  Cestius  was  mass- 
ing all  his  troops  for  the  final  assault,  to  be  delivered 
from  the  north. 

This  was  likewise  the  opinion  of  Crispus ;  his  father 
was  purposely  leaving  three  sides  of  the  city  unguarded 
in  the  belief  that  the  Jews  would  fight  with  less  despera- 
tion, as  knowing  that  a  way  of  retreat  was  open  to 
them  both  on  flank  and  rear. 

By  noontide  all  the  various  sections  of  the  Roman 
army  were  seen  to  be  concentrated  upon  the  northern 
heights  of  Scopus.  Not  a  cohort,  not  a  maniple,  not 
a  single  legionary,  was  visible  elsewhere.  Even  those 
strategic  points  which  on  the  previous  day  had  been 
won  at  the  cost  of  so  much  toil  and  blood  were  all 
relinquished,  the  troops  that  held  them  having  with- 
drawn to  join  the  common  host. 

This  last  movement  was,  in  the  eyes  of  the  Jewish 
multitude,  a  very  mysterious  one.  What  did  it  mean.'' 
They  looked  on  in  silent  and  breathless  wonder. 

Suddenly,  the  shrill  note  of  a  trumpet  rang  out  upon 
the  morning  air.     The  distant  notes  were  borne  by  the 

181 


182  The  Doomed  City 

breeze  In  faint  cadence  to  the  ears  of  Crlspus.  With 
a  sudden  thrill  at  his  heart  he  listened,  doubtful  as 
to  whether  he  could  have  heard  aright.  Again  the 
trumpet  sang  out.  The  same  strain  as  before.  There 
was  no  mistaking  its  meaning,  and  Crispus  sank  back 
with  a  groan  of  despair. 

It  was  the  signal  for  retreat! 

The  great  army  that  had  set  out  from  Antioch  burn- 
ing to  redeem  Roman  honor  by  recovering  Jerusalem 
was  now  actually  moving  off  again,  at  the  very  moment 
when  it  might  have  successfully  accomplished  its  work; 
moving  off — to  quote  the  contemporary  historian — 
"  without  any  reason  in  the  world !  "  '^ 

Silently  the  people  stared,  scarcely  able  to  believe 
their  eyes.  Then,  as  each  successive  evolution  made 
the  truth  more  and  more  plain,  there  burst  from  a 
hundred  thousand  voices  a  yell  that  seemed  to  rend 
the  very  firmament. 

"  THE  ROMANS  ARE  RETREATING !  " 

"  It's  a  stratagem  to  lure  the  Jews  from  the  city," 
said  the  bewildered  Crispus,  trying  to  delude  himself 
with  false  hopes.  "  They  will  follow,  and  he  will  fall 
upon  them." 

He  was  right  in  saying  that  the  Jews  would 
follow. 

The  gates  of  the  city  clanged  wide,  and  an  armed 
multitude,  Simon  at  their  head,  poured  forth  with 
intent  to  harass  the  retreating  foe. 

Crispus,  watching  with  mournful  and  rueful  visage, 
took  his  last  look  at  the  soldiers  of  the  Roman  rear- 
guard as  they  stood  in  glittering  splendor  upon  the 
sky-line.  They  had  faced  about  on  the  very  summit 
of  Scopus  to  discharge  a  flight  of  arrows  at  the  fore- 
most column  of  the  pursuing  Jews ;  a  few  moments 
afterwards  and  they  had  disappeared  behind  the 
heights. 

Their  parting  shots  had  no  effect  upon  the  advance 
of  the  Jews,  who  in  a  wild,  tumultuous  mass  swept  for- 


The  Triumph  of  Simon  183 

ward  up  the  broad,  white,  dusty  road  and  over  the 
brow  of  the  hill ;  in  course  of  time  they,  too,  like  the 
Romans,  became  lost  to  view. 

Crispus  fully  expected  to  see  them  ere  long  come 
surging  back  in  headlong  flight ;  but  no !  Sounds  as 
of  tumult  and  fighting  reached  his  ears,  but  these 
sounds  becoming  more  and  more  distant  showed  that  it 
was  not  the  Jews  who  were  fleeing. 

Sorrowfully  he  lay  down,  and  while  vainly  trying — 
for  he  would  not  accept  Vashti's  explanation  of  the 
matter — to  devise  some  theory  to  account  for  a  retreat 
so  strange,  he  fell  asleep.  Vashti  seized  the  oppor- 
tunity to  steal  quietly  off*,  and  making  her  way  to  the 
temple  turned  into  the  Eastern  Cloister  or  Solomon's 
Colonnade.  Here  the  Christians  of  Jerusalem  were 
wont  to  meet,  drawn  thither  by  the  knowledge  that  this 
place  had  been  a  favorite  resort  of  their  Lord  while 
upon  earth.  As  Vashti  made  her  way  along  this  arcade 
she  came  upon  a  little  group — men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren— whom  she  recognized  as  adherents  of  the  faith, 
the  holy  band  that  had  survived  the  persecutions  alike 
of  Jewish  Sanhedrim  and  Roman  procurator.  Their 
air,  sad  yet  sweet,  and  the  character  of  their  attire — 
for  they  were  habited  as  if  for  a  long  journey — told 
her  that  they  were  taking  their  last  farewell  of  the 
temple.  Some  were  gazing  wistfully  around,  as  well 
knowing  that  they  would  see  the  place  no  more;  a  few 
knelt  reverently  upon  the  pavement,  and  kissed  the 
stones  that  had  once  been  trodden  by  the  hallowed  feet 
of  the  Saviour. 

Among  them,  exercising  a  mild  and  paternal  au- 
thority, there  moved  one,  dignified  and  saintly  in 
aspect,  Simeon,  son  of  Cleophas,  revered  as  being  the 
cousin,  according  to  the  flesh,  of  the  crucified  Master. 
A  pillar  of  the  church,  and  a  witness  of  the  truth,  he 
had  already  lived  seventy  years,  and  was  destined,  either 
from  the  pure  and  temperate  character  of  his  life  or 
from  being  specially   favored  by   heaven,   to   live  yet 


184  The  Doomed  City 

fifty  more,  terminating  his  long  life  by  a  glorious 
martyrdom." 

It  was  his  hand  that  had  baptized  Vashti,  whom 
he  now  greeted  with  a  gentle  smile. 

"You  are  quitting  the  city.''"  said  she,  sorrowfully. 

"  Even  so,"  returned  Simeon ;  "  at  intervals,  and  in 
small  groups,  that  we  may  not  attract  the  attention 
of  our  enemies.  We  have  seen  the  sign  foretold  by  the 
Lord  while  He  was  yet  with  us :  '  Jerusalem  compassed 
with  armies.'  Therefore  do  we  obey  His  voice  and 
hasten  our  departure,  lest  the  Zealots  should  return  to 
intercept  our  flight.  The  door  is  open ;  who  can  tell 
how  soon  it  may  be  shut.?  We  have  a  further  sign 
in  the  Messianic  fountain  of  Siloam  that  has  withdrawn 
its  waters  from  this  wicked  city." 

"And  whither  are  you  going.?" 

"  Beyond  Jordan  to  the  city  of  Pella  among  the 
mountains.  My  daughter,  are  you  not  going  with  us, 
seeing  that  upon  this  city,  that  hath  shed  the  blood 
of  the  saints,  there  is  coming  utter  destruction.? — ^yea, 
*  Tribulation  such  as  was  not  since  the  beginning  of 
the  world  to  this  time;  no,  nor  ever  shall  be.*  " 

There  was  in  the  bishop's  words  that  which  set 
Vashti's  heart  thrilling  with  a  nameless  fear.  She 
yearned  to  accompany  the  little  band  to  Pella,  but  durst 
not  run  contrary  to  the  will  of  her  mother,  who,  she 
well  knew,  would  never  be  persuaded  to  quit  the  city. 
And  there  was  little  Arad.  And  the  good  but  heathen 
Crispus,  for  whose  conversion  she  daily  prayed,  occu- 
pied also  a  place  in  her  heart.  No !  she  could  not  bear 
to  part  from  these,  and  so  she  resisted  the  persuasive 
words  of  her  new-found  friends. 

"Why  will  you  make  me  weep?"  said  she.  "If  it 
be  the  will  of  the  Lord  can  He  not  protect  me  here 
equally  as  well  as  at  Pella.?" 

"  Daughter,  thou  hast  well  said,"  returned  Simeon. 
"  Is  it  not  written:  '  Who  ever  perished,  being  innocent? 
or  when  were  the  righteous  cut  off?  '     We  leave  thee 


The  Triumph  of  Simon  185 

t'^L^.lX  """^  ^"'^ ""'  ^'  '^^"  "°*  '^^^  ^°  p^^^ 

hl.II'''!  have  it  my  daughter,"  replied  the  good 
bishop    laying  his  hands  upon  her  head  ^ 

_  Ih^  httle  band  now  turned  sorrowfully  away,  cast- 
ing  many    a    lingering   look    behind.      Vashti,yzi4 

fh°%.  1?^"""^."'^"^^'  ""*^^^^  «^^^  -  the;  q^uitt  d 
the  Shushan  or  Beautiful  Gate,  and  made  theh'  way 
down  the  hillside  to  the  brook  Cedron.      Crossing  the 

of  Olit?'""  ^  A  ^'^^^'  '^''^  "^^^"^^^  ^^-  leafy  slope 
ot  Uhvet;  arrived  upon  its  summit  they  paused  to  t«L 
one  long,  last  look  at  the  city,  and  thinf  dlTppt itg 
loTt  toM::;^^^  ^'^  ""'-'  ^^  ^^^  --^'  *^-''ecam? 
With  a  sense  of  desolation  at  her  heart,  such  as  she 
had  never  before  known,  Vashti  went  home  aga"  to 
find  Crispus  awake  and  chafing  because  the  Jews  had 
not  yet  returned  in  headlong  flight 

the   next!     A   whole   week   passed,    a    week   filled   with 
strange  rumors  of  Roman  defeat  and  Jewish  succesl 

On  the  eighth  day  the  Jewish  multitude  reappeared 
chanting  songs  of  victory.  ppearea, 

Their  entry  into  the  city  took  the  shape  of  a  trium- 
phal procession,  made  resplendent  with  chariots  and 
enemyl"       ''""  '"^  standards,  all  captured  from  the 

in  T  W™'"'  '\  ^''°.  °^  '^''  ^^^'^  ^PP^-r^d  riding 
in  an  ivory  car  whose  front  and  sides  were  decorated 
with   the  gory   heads   of  slaiii   Romans,   the   delighted 

af  thoLli'h'^'  '"\r^^^  ''-'  "^^^"^  of 'palm-brantes' 
as  though  he  were  the  very  Messiah.     Young  maidens 

p5et::«er°-  ^'^  -'-■-''  -<> '-  -t  ^z 

"  Hosanna  to  the  son  of  Giora !  " 

"  Hail  to  the  Scourge  of  the  Romans ! » 


186  The  Boomed  City 

It  was  a  great  day  for  the  Zealot  chief,  too  great 
in  the  eyes  of  the  jealous  Eleazar,  who  was  beginning 
to  fear  that  Simon  had  ambitions  inconsistent  with  his 
own  supremacy. 

"  We  must  clip  the  wings  of  this  eagle  ere  he  fly  too 
high,"  he  muttered  darkly. 

As  for  Crispus,  the  procession  seemed  to  him  like 
some  hideous  dream.  Could  it  be  that  a  fine  Roman 
army,  commanded  by  his  own  father,  had  suffered 
defeat  at  the  hands  of  an  undisciplined  horde  of  Orien- 
tal barbarians  .f^ 

It  was  even  so ;  Vashti  that  evening  told  him  the 
whole  story  as  she  had  gathered  it  from  others. 

Simon's  followers,  keeping  to  the  heights  that  over- 
hung the  Pass  of  Beth-horon,  had  followed  the  Romans 
day  by  day,  attacking  them  in  front,  flank  and  rear, 
but  never  venturing  an  open  engagement.  The  Roman 
legionaries,  demoralized  by  the  retreat,  seemed  to  lack 
even  the  spirit  to  defend  themselves.  At  last,  when 
more  than  five  thousand  of  his  men  had  fallen  in  this 
guerilla  warfare,  Cestius,  to  avoid  further  disaster, 
was  compelled  to  resort  to  a  stratagem  of  despair. 
Having  with  studied  pomp  and  display  formed  and 
fortified  a  camp,  he  stole  off  quietly  in  the  dead  of 
night,  leaving  the  tents  standing  and  the  watch-fires 
burning,  so  as  to  deceive  the  enemy  for  a  time.  The 
trick  answered ;  and  Cestius,  gaining  a  few  hours'  start, 
succeeded  by  forced  marches  in  bringing  his  panic- 
stricken  troops  to  Antipatris,  behind  whose  ramparts 
he  was  secure  from  attack.  As  for  the  camp  with  its 
standards,  furniture,  and  military  stores,  this  was,  of 
course,  seized  and  plundered  by  the  delighted  Jews. 

Not  since  the  day  when  the  German  barbarians,  under 
Arminius,  had  cut  to  pieces  the  legions  of  Varus  in 
the  depths  of  the  Teutoburg  forest,  had  a  disaster  so 
great  befallen  the  Roman  arms. 

Had  this  defeat  happened  under  any  other  com- 
mander,  the  shame  of  it  would  have  touched  to  the 


The  Triumph  of  Simon  187 

quick  the  patriotic  pride  of  Crispus,  but  that  this 
defeat  should  have  been  brought  about  by  the  bad 
generalship  of  his  own  father ! 

Filial  affection  seemed  for  the  moment  to  die  within 
Crispus. 

"Doth  my  father  still  live?"  he  muttered  moodily. 
"Had  he  no  sword  to  fall  upon.''  He  hath  made  the 
name  of  Cestius  synonj^mous  with  coward." 

That  day,  the  first  time  for  several  weeks,  Crispus 
w'as  able  to  rise  from  his  bed  and  assume  his  Roman 
garb. 

And  now  came  the  momentous  question  as  to  how 
he  should  get  safely  out  of  Jerusalem,  a  question  that 
was  settled  in  a  very  remarkable  manner. 

Miriam's  house,  like  all  the  larger  houses  in  Jeru- 
salem, was  built  around  a  square  court  paved  with  tiles, 
and  adorned  in  the  middle  with  a  fountain. 

One  afternoon,  Vashti  was  sitting  alone  in  this  court, 
and  thinking,  as  she  was  always  thinking,  of  Crispus, 
when  a  heavy  footstep  caused  her  to  look  up.  The 
thing  that  she  had  been  fearing  during  many  weeks 
had  come  to  pass  at  last.  There,  a  few  paces  distant, 
stood  Simon  of  Gerasa !  Only  by  a  great  effort  was 
she  able  to  keep  herself  from  fainting  at  sight  of  the 
dark  and  terrible  Zealot. 

"  Interpret  me  this  riddle,"  said  he.  "  Into  the  house 
was  seen  to  go  that  which  never  came  forth  again." 

She  knew  that  he  was  alluding  to  Crispus,  and  her 
heart  almost  ceased  beating. 

"  To  be  more  plain,  doth  not  Crispus  the  Roman 
abide  here.''  " 

In  defiance  of  the  teaching  of  Simeon  the  bishop,  that 
a  falsehood  is  never  justifiable  even  when  its  purpose 
is  to  save  human  life,  Vashti  was  tempted  to  deny  all 
knowledge  of  Crispus. 

"  Why  should  you  think  that  ?  "  she  replied  in  a 
trembling  voice. 

"  You  do  not  deny  it.?     Take  me  to  him." 


188  The  Doomed  City 

Vashtl  did  not  stir. 

"  Come,  girl,"  exclaimed  Simon,  growing  impatient, 
"  delay  not,  or  I  summon  my  Zealots  to  search  the 
house,  and  if  these  patriots  once  enter,"  he  continued 
with  a  grim  smile,  "  they'll  leave  little  of  value  behind. 
I  seek  the  Roman  to  do  him  not  evil  but  good.  I 
swear  it." 

"  You  swear ! "  flashed  out  Vashti,  her  indignation 
getting  the  better  of  her  fear.  "  You,  who  broke  your 
oath  and  massacred  the  Roman  garrison !  What  is 
your  word  worth.?  " 

The  Zealot  laughed  unashamedly. 

"  When  a  man,  desirous  of  hanging  a  dog,  lures  the 
creature  to  him  by  a  tempting  bait,  do  you  call  him 
wicked?  And  what  are  the  Romans  but  dogs,  unfit 
to  live." 

"  Then  Crispus,  being  a  Roman,  is  a  dog.f*  " 

"  He  is ;  but  he  is  the  best  of  the  dogs,  and  therefore 
am  I  minded  to  do  him  a  service." 

Compelled  to  yield,  Vashti  led  the  way,  wondering 
what  Crispus  would  think  of  her  action  in  bringing  the 
Zealot  upon  him. 

She  found  him  in  an  upper  chamber,  sitting  at  a 
table,  reading  a  Greek  scroll  of  one  of  the  gospels, 
and  frowning  at  what  he  considered  its  bizarre  style. 
Upon  the  same  table  lay  a  drawn  sword. 

'^  *  And  they  shall  lay  thee  even  xvith  the  ground,*  " 
read  Crispus.  "  Now,  I  trust  that  this  man  may  prove 
a  true  prophet,  for — ah  !  who  comes  here  ?  " 

His  eye,  lifting,  had  caught  sight  of  Simon.  Fa- 
miliarized with  sudden  perils,  Crispus  kept  an  unmoved 
countenance. 

"How  fares  the  noble  patient?"  said  Simon,  sar- 
donically. 

"  Why,  as  to  that,  you  may  test  his  strength,  if 
you  will,"  replied  Crispus,  laying  his  hand  upon  the 
sword. 

But  though  he  spoke  thus  boldly,  and  longed  to  slay 


The  Triumph  of  Simon  189 

the  man  who  had  helped  to  massacre  his  fellov.'-Romans, 
he  felt  himself,  in  his  present  state  of  convalescence,  to 
be  as  weak  as  a  babe.  It  was  all  over  with  him  if  the 
Zealot  took  him  at  his  word. 

"  Tush !  "  responded  Simon,  with  folded  arms.  "  Do 
you  not  see  that  I  am  unarmed.  I  come  as  a  friend. 
Were  I  thy  enemy  and  desired  thy  death  should  I  have 
sought  to  save  thee  from  the  hand  of  Eleazar.''" 

"And  why  that  attempted  grace  on  your  part?" 
asked  Crispus,  laying  down  his  weapon. 

"  Were  3'ou  not  the  first  to  rise  at  my  trial  and  con- 
demn the  dastardly  Florus  ?  " 

"  My  condemnation  of  Florus  was  not  meant  as  the 
justification  of  Simon." 

"  Be  that  as  it  may.  Let  me  state  my  errand.  You 
are  surrounded  by  enemies,  who,  if  they  did  but  know 
that  you  are  abiding  here,  would  break  in  and  slay 
3'ou.  Be  it  mine  to  save  you.  I  am  here  secretly  to 
offer  you  a  safe  conduct  to  your  Roman  friends  at 
Antipatris." 

"  'Tis   scarcely   credible,"    said    Crispus. 

He  was  amazed,  as  well  he  might  be,  at  the  offer. 
Why  should  Simon  be  willing  to  undertake  this  enter- 
prise, which,  if  detected,  would  put  him  at  feud  with 
Eleazar  and  the  whole  body  of  the  Zealots? 

"  My  reason  for  this  course  I  reserve  till  to-night," 
was  the  only  answer  Simon  would  give  to  Crispus' 
questioning. 

"  But  if  you  are  willing  that  I  should  get  safely 
from  Jerusalem,  why  not  let  me  arrange  my  departure 
in  my  own  way  ?  " 

"  Do  so,  and  die.  You  cannot  escape  in  the  day- 
time, and  at  night  no  one  can  leave  the  city  without 
a  signed  order  from  Eleazar.  But  should  you  succeed 
in  evading  the  sentinels  at  the  gates  you  will  find  the 
public  roads  leading  from  Jerusalem  patrolled  by  armed 
Zealots,  who  slay  all  whom  they  detect  escaping  from 
the  city.     '  Jerusalem,'   they  say,   and  rightly,   '  hath 


190  The  Boomed  City 

need  of  all  her  sons,  and  he  who  deserts  her  at  this 
crisis  shall  receive  a  traitor's  doom." 

How  Vashti  rejoiced  that  the  Christians  had  seized 
the  first  opportunity  to  escape ! 

"  Your  safety,"  continued  Simon,  addressing  Cris- 
pus,  "  lies  in  my  escorting  you ;  apart  from  me  you  will 
be  stopped,  interrogated,  slain." 

"  I  will  avail  myself  of  your  offer,"  said  Crispus. 
"  But  I  forewarn  you  that  when  the  Roman  army  comes 
again  from  Caesarea,  as  come  it  will,  I  shall  be  found 
within  its  ranks,  and  if  we  meet  in  battle  look  to  no 
sparing  from  me." 

"  Be  it  so,"  said  Simon  coldly.  "  To-night  at  the 
sixth  hour  be  ready  for  the  journey.  I  will  bring  two 
steeds  with  me.  But  a  word  of  caution.  Exchange  that 
Roman  costume  for  the  Hebrew  caftan  and  abba,  if  you 
would  be  safe." 

With  that  Simon  took  his  departure,  directing  his 
steps  to  the  temple,  where  he  found  to  his  surprise  that 
the  Sanhedrim  were  holding  a  meeting  in  the  hall 
Gazith,  a  meeting  to  which  they  had  not  thought  fit  to 
invite  him. 

The  object  of  their  deliberations,  so  it  seemed,  was 
to  appoint  military  governors  for  the  various  top- 
archies  or  districts,  of  not  only  Judaa,  but  also  of 
Galilee,  Idumasa,  and  Peraea,  these  three  provinces  hav- 
ing decided  to  throw  in  their  lot  with  the  Jewish 
cause. 

As  the  Sanhedrim,  having  dispatched  this  business, 
were  departing,  Simon  encountered  Eleazar  on  the 
threshold  of  the  hall. 

"A  council,  and  I  not  invited?"  he  said  in  an  in- 
jured tone.  "But  there,  let  be!  How  have  matters 
sped.?" 

"  Joseph  ben  Gorion  and  Ananus  have  been  ap- 
pointed rulers  of  Jeriisalem." 

"  Priests  both,"  commented   Simon. 

"  /  am  a  priest,"  returned  the  other. 


The  Triumph  of  Simon  191 

"Were  these  two  like  thee  I  would  rejoice,"  replied 
the  Zealot,  who  recognized  the  military  abilities  of 
Eleazar. 

"  Rejoice,  then,  that  I  am  made  ruler  of  Idumasa." 

"Why,  so  I  do.     What  more?" 

"  Josephus  hath  rule  over  the  two  Galilees." 

"  Another  priest,  and  a  smooth-tongued,  double-faced 
Pharisee ;  not  to  be  trusted." 

Eleazar  proceeded  to  enumerate  other  appointments, 
few  of  which  met  with  Simon's  approval. 

"  It  seems,"  said  the  Zealot,  when  the  other  had 
finished  his  list,  "  that  the  Sanhedrim  hath  no  need  for 
my  services." 

"  Your  name  was  not  brought  forward  in  connection 
with  any  office." 

"Not  even  by  you.''"  Eleazar  was  silent.  "Who 
was  the  first  to  enter  Antonia.''  Not  a  Sanhedrist,  I 
trow.  Who  promised  to  free  Jerusalem  from  its  siege, 
and  did  so.''  Not  a  Sanhedrist.  Who  was  foremost 
in  the  attack  on  the  retreating  legions  of  Cestius.'^  Not 
a  Sanhedrist.  And  now  do  they  pass  me  by,  and  dis- 
tribute the  rewards  of  victory  among  themselves.'' 
Verily,  3'ou  have  not  done  well,  Eleazar,  son  of  Ana- 
nias." 

And  Simon  stalked  wrathfully  away. 

As  night  drew  on  Crispus'  feelings  became  a  curious 
mingling  of  pleasure  and  regret — pleasure  at  the 
thought  of  freedom,  regret  at  having  to  part  from 
Vashti,  whose  companionship  had  grown  dear  to  him. 

In  this  hour  of  parting  as  they  sat  in  the  upper 
chamber  by  the  light  of  a  silver  lamp,  Vashti  gently 
sought,  as  she  had  frequently  sought  before,  to  bring 
him  over  to  her  faith. 

Crispus  shook  his  head. 

"  Your  creed  is  an  impossible  one,"  said  he.  "  A 
religion  that  tells  us  to  love  our  enemies  would  be  the 
ruin  of  states.     Where  would  the  Roman  empire  have 


192  Tlie  Doomed  City 

been  had  we  followed  that  doctrine?  The  world  will 
never  be  ruled  by  love,  but  by  this."  Taking  his  sword 
by  the  point  he  held  it  aloft. 

"  Look !  "   said   Vashti,   gently. 

Crispus  looked  where  she  pointed,  and  lo !  upon  the 
chamber  wall  was  a  shadow  cast  by  the  light  of  the 
lamp,  and  that  shadow  had  the  shape  of  a  cross! 

He  who  had  not  started  at  Simon's  sudden  advent 
started  now.  He  lowered  the  sword  and  sheathed  it 
with  a  thoughtful  air.  Upon  him  who  was  so  much 
disposed  to  catch  at  omens  that  little  incident  made 
more  impression  than  all  Vashti's  discourses. 

"  The  time  of  your  departure  is  at  hand,"  she  said 
sorrowfully.  "  You  must  kiss  little  Arad  before  you 
go,  and  say  farewell  to  my  mother." 

When  the  sixth  hour  of  the  night  had  come,  Crispus, 
disguised  in  Jewish  garb,  descended  to  the  door  of 
Miriam's  dwelling.  Vashti  was  with  him,  and  looked 
cautiously  forth.  Under  the  radiance  of  the  full  moon 
the  street  of  Millo  was  half  in  silver  light  and  half 
in  ebon  shadow.  Out  of  the  latter  emerged  the  tall 
form  of  Simon  leading  two  horses  by  the  bridle. 

As  Crispus  beheld  Vashti's  eyes  eloquent  with  the 
sorrow  of  parting,  he  longed  to  take  her  within  his 
arms  and  press  her  lips  to  his.  He  knew  that  this 
maiden  loved  him,  as  well  as  he  knew  that  he  loved  her. 
But  between  them  there  lay  the  shadow  of  the  unknown 
Athenais ;  and  even  should  Crispus,  invoking  the  law, 
repudiate  his  consort,  he  would  be  no  better  off  as 
regards  Vashti,  whose  Christian  faith,  dearer  to  her 
than  earthly  love,  forbade  her  to  marry  one  that  had 
put  away  his  wife. 

With  the  words  "  Farewell,  sweet  Vashti ;  may  we 
soon  meet  again ! "  he  mounted  the  horse,  and,  in 
company  with  Simon,  rode  slowly  away,  pausing  for  a 
moment  at  the  street  corner  to  wave  with  his  hand  a 
final  adieu. 

They  drew  nigh  to  the  gate  Gennath,  where  a  guard 


The  Triumph  of  Simon  193 

was  stationed.  Simon's  well-known  face  procured  a 
ready  passport  both  for  himself  and  his  companion. 

"  Who  is  he  that  rides  with  thee.''  "  asked  the  captain 
of  Simon. 

"  In  his  way  as  good  a  patriot  as  myself,"  was  the 
answer. 

The  two  passed  through  the  gate  and  galloped  off 
in  the  moonlight,  the  sense  of  freedom  and  the  rapid 
motion  through  the  night  air  causing  Crispus  to  tingle 
with  exhilaration. 

It  was  well  that  Simon  remained  with  him.  Twice 
they  were  stopped  by  bands  of  Zealots,  who  speedily 
withdrew  on  recognizing  the  "  Scourge  of  the  Romans." 

Crispus,  though  in  a  way  grateful  for  Simon's  pro- 
tection, did  not  feel  much  disposed  to  talk  with  him ; 
the  Zealot,  on  his  part,  was  moody  and  taciturn,  and 
so  the  strangely-assorted  pair  rode  side  by  side  with 
scarce  a  word  till  in  the  first  faint  light  of  an  East- 
ern dawn  the  distant  towers  of  Antipatris  rose  to 
view. 

At  about  a  hundred  yards  from  the  gate  Simon  drew 
rein. 

"  We  part  here." 

"  Good !  And  now  why  this  friendly  act  on  your 
part.?" 

"  My  bringing  you  here  is  a  proof  that  Simon  the 
Black  can  sometimes  keep  faith.  I  pledged  my  word 
to  your  father,  Cestius,  to  conduct  you  safely  to  Anti- 
patris. He  will  tell  you  the  story,"  added  the  Zealot, 
turning  as  if  about  to  ride  off. 

"  I  prefer  to  hear  it  now,  and  from  you,"  said  Cris- 
pus, a  suspicion  of  the  truth  beginning  to  dawn  upon 
his  mind. 

"  Well,  since  thou  art  curious,  listen.  On  the  night 
following  Cestius'  investment  of  the  city,  a  youth  was 
seen  descending  the  wall  by  a  rope.  I  dispatched  a 
party,  who  brought  him  back.  Upon  him  I  found  a 
letter,  whose  contents  I  kept  to  myself.     On  the  sixth 


194  The  Boomed  City 

night  of  the  siege  our  affairs  being,  as  you  may  re- 
member, a  little  desperate,  I  went  to  the  Roman  camp, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  presence  of  Cestius.  *  Your 
son  is  alive,'  I  said,  '  as  this  letter  plainly  shows ;  but 
he  shall  die,  unless  you  immediately  withdraw  your 
troops.'  He  threatened  to  hang  me  for  daring  to  come 
with  such  a  message.  '  As  you  will,'  I  answered,  '  but 
know  this,  I  have  left  behind  me  the  order  that  if  I 
am  not  back  in  the  city  within  three  hours  Crispus  is 
to  be  brought  forth  upon  the  battlements  and  cruci- 
fied.' 

"  That  stayed  his  hand.  He  fell  to  thinking,  and 
the  end  of  it  was  that  love  for  his  son  triumphed  over 
his  duty  to  the  state.  But  I  made  it  my  condition 
not  to  surrender  you  till  he  had  entirely  withdrawn  to 
Csesarea." 

"  And  you  broke  your  promise.  My  father  pledged 
his  word  to  retreat,  and  you  attacked  him  during  that 
retreat." 

"  Nay,  I  broke  no  promise,  for  I  warned  Cestius  that 
if  he  retired  I  should  be  unable  to  check  the  Zealots 
from  following.  '  Let  them  follow,'  were  his  words. 
He  welcomed  the  idea  of  pursuit,  thinking  to  give  us 
over  to  the  sword,  but  he  found  he  had  to  deal  with 
men  that  could  fight." 

"  Aye,  from  the  safe  covert  of  the  hill-tops.  Your 
courage  stopped  with  the  open  plain." 

"  I  may  not  talk  longer  with  you,  for  I  see  soldiers 
issuing  from  the  city-gate,  and  I  have  no  desire  that 
my  head  shall  decorate  the  battlements  of  Antipatris. 
I  have  fulfilled  my  word  to  Cestius,  and  now  I  return. 
We  shall  meet  again  under  the  walls  of  Jerusalem." 

So  saying,  Simon  turned  his  steed  and  galloped  off 
by  the  way  he  had  come. 

Looking  towards  Antipatris,  Crispus  saw  a  small 
body  of  foot  soldiers  advancing  from  the  gate ;  at  their 
head  was  a  mounted  officer,  none  other  than  Terentius 
Rufus,  who  came  spurring  forward  with  all  speed,  as 


The  Triumph  of  Simon  195 

if  bent  on  learning  the  business  of  the  two  Jewish-look- 
ing horsemen. 

*'  Hold,  fellow !  "  he  cried,  reining  in  his  steed,  as 

he  drew  abreast  of  Crispus.     "  Who  art ?  "     And 

then,  his  voice  suddenly  changing,  he  exclaimed,  "  By 
the  gods,  'tis  Crispus." 

His  quick  look  of  delight  was  instantly  succeeded  by 
one  of  gravity, 

"  Turn  from  the  city,"  said  he,  "  and  ride  back  a 
little  way,  lest  you  should  be  recognized  by  my  men. 
Five  thousand  aurei  are  a  strong  temptation  to  mer- 
cenary natures." 

"  How  mean  you.''  " 

"  There  is  a  price  on  your  head." 

"  Ah !  what  have  I  been  doing  to  deserve  it." 

"  'Tis  said  that  when  Cestius  had  invested  Jerusalem 
you  wrote  a  craven  letter  imploring  him  to  raise  the 
siege,  or  your  life  would  be  forfeit." 

"  I  would  that  I  had  my  hand  on  the  throat  of  the 
man  that  invented  that  lie." 

"  Think  not  that  /  ever  believed  it.  Unfortunately, 
however,  this  slander  hath  reached  the  ears  of  Nero, 
who,  in  his  rage,  hath  decreed  that  the  lives  of  the  two 
Cestii,  father  and  son,  are  forfeit  to  the  state." 

Confounded  by  this  tidings,  Crispus  could  do  nothing 
for  a  few  moments  but  stare  blankly  at  his  friend. 

"  What  has  become  of  my  father  ?  "  said  he,  finding 
his  voice. 

Rufus'  hesitation  told  its  own  tale. 

"  Speak !  "  said  Crispus,  growing  pale.  "  How  did 
he  die?  " 

"  Like  a  Roman ;  he  fell  on  his  sword." 

Crispus  paid  to  his  father's  memory  the  tribute  of 
a  brief  and  pitying  silence.  It  was  a  bitter  thought 
to  him  that  if  he  had  not  written  that  letter  Cestius 
might  now  be  living,  the  conqueror  of  Jerusalem,  to 
be  greeted  at  Rome  like  a  second  Pompey  with  the  title, 
"  Noster  Hierosolymarius," 


196  The  Doomed  City 

"  Go  not  to  Antipatris,  or  to  any  town  where  you 
are  known,"  said  Rufus,  "  since  any  man  may  lawfully 
slay  you.  The  streets  of  Caesarea  are  posted  with  tab- 
lets offering  five  thousand  aurei  for  the  head  of  Cris- 
pus." 

"  I  need  scarcely  ask  what  has  become  of  my  father's 
estates?  " 

"  Confiscated,"  replied  Rufus,  laconically. 

That  he  had  toppled  down  in  a  moment  from  his 
high  office  of  Secretary  to  the  Legate  of  Syria;  that 
he  had  lost  his  patrimonial  estates — nay,  even  the  fact 
that  he  had  been  doomed  to  death — was  to  Crispus  as 
nothing  in  comparison  with  the  thought  that  he  was 
now  deprived  of  all  opportunity  of  returning  to  Jeru- 
salem in  company  with  legions  to  avenge  the  massacre 
of  the  Roman  garrisons. 

Gone,  too,  was  his  hope  of  a  kingdom.  The  doom 
pronounced  upon  him  was  a  proof  that  Nero  had  re- 
voked his  purpose  of  ratifying  Polemo's  intended  dis- 
posal of  his  crown.  And  his  wife,  the  mysterious 
Athenai's.'^  Was  it  likely  that  she  would  remain  faith- 
ful to  him  on  learning  that  the  Roman  noble  whom 
she  had  wedded  was  now  a  pauper,  and  that  a  pro- 
scribed one.'* 

"  Who  commands  in  this  war,  now  that  my  father 
has  gone.''  " 

"  Old  Flavins  Vespasian,  with  his  son  Titus  as  sec- 
ond in  command.  Titus,"  continued  Rufus,  with  a  wry 
mouth,  "  our  equal  once.  Now  he'll  hold  his  head  high 
above  us  both.  Perhaps  my  lady  Berenice  will  smile 
on  him  now,  seeing  what  a  great  man  he  has  become." 

"Berenice?  ah!"  said  Crispus  in  a  curious  tone. 
"  Of  course  she  hath  heard  of  my  disgrace.  How  doth 
she  take  it  ?  " 

"  One  of  the  proscriptive  tablets  directed  against 
you  hangs  upon  her  palace-wall  at  Cffisarea,  whence  it 
may  be  inferred  that  your  fall  is  not  a  matter  of  much 
concern  to  her." 


The  Triumph  of  Simon  197 

Crispus  wondered  whether  Vashti  would  suffer  a 
placard  dooming  him  to  death  to  remain  upon  the  wall 
of  her  house. 

"  You  must  live  in  concealment,"  advised  Rufus,  "  till 
Nero  be  persuaded  to  revoke  his  unjust  decree;  or,  it 
may  be,  that  your  freedom  will  come  in  another  way, 
for  if  all  the  rumors  circulated  be  true,  our  present 
Caesar  is  like  ere  long  to  lose  his  throne,  if  not  his 
life,  so  outrageously  doth  he  shock  public  sentiment; 
in  which  case  all  his  acts  will  be  annulled  by  his  suc- 
cessor, and  thus  your  patrimonial  estates  may  return 
to  you.  The  question  is,  where  will  you  hide  in  the 
meantime  .f*  " 

"  I  will  go,"  replied  Crispus,  his  mind  still  under 
the  singular  impression  evoked  by  the  shadow  of  the 
cross,  "I  will  go  to  a  people  that  will  suffer  death 
rather  than  betray  a  suppliant ;  I  will  go  to  the  Chris- 
tians of  Pella." 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  AMBITION  OF  BEEENICE 

More  than  two  years  and  a  half  had  now  passed 
since  the  disastrous  retreat  of  Cestius,  and  during  all 
that  time  no  Roman  legion  had  come  within  sight  of 
Jerusalem. 

Vespasian,  the  successor  of  Cestius,  had  first  directed 
his  arms  against  Galilee,  almost  every  city  of  which 
was  in  a  state  of  rebellion. 

Thanks  to  the  spirit  and  activity  displayed  by  the 
warrior-historian  Josephus,  as  well  as  to  the  situation 
of  the  Galilean  cities,  most  of  which  were  built  upon 
hill-tops  and  almost  inaccessible  crags,  the  campaign 
was  prolonged  for  more  than  a  year. 

Then  came  a  long  interval  of  inactivity,  due  to  a 
series  of  revolutions  taking  place  at  Rome,  the  seat 
of  the  government.  Within  the  space  of  a  single  year 
the  throne  of  the  Caesars  was  occupied  in  turn  by  a 
series  of  ambitious  generals,  the  self-murdered  Nero 
having  been  succeeded  by  Galba,  by  Otho,  and  by  Vi- 
tellius. 

During  these  political  crises  Vespasian  was  under 
the  necessity  of  having  his  position  as  commandant  in 
Judaea  successively  recognized  and  confirmed  by  each 
new  Caesar,  and  as  this  was  a  matter  requiring  much 
time,  it  led  to  frequent  pauses  in  the  campaign,  a  state 
of  affairs  very  much  to  the  advantage  of  the  revolu- 
tionary factions  in  Jerusalem. 

The  Roman  army  destined  to  act  against  the  holy 
city  had  formed  a  huge  camp  upon  the  seashore  at  a 
point  a  few  miles  to  the  north  of  Caesarea,  and  here 
day  by  day  with  unfailing  regularity  the  iron  warriors 

198 


The  Ambition  of  Berenice  199 

of  Rome  went  through  those  evolutions  and  exercises 
that  had  made  them  the  masters  of  the  world. 

This  similitude  of  war  naturally  attracted  crowds 
from  the  neighboring  region.  It  became  quite  a  cus- 
tom with  the  fashionable  Greeks  of  Caesarea  to  take 
their  morning  promenade  along  the  seashore  for  the 
purpose  of  witnessing  a  spectacle  as  thrilling  almost 
as  the  contests  at  Olympia  or  the  combats  of  the  amphi- 
theater. 

One  fair,  sunny  morning  in  the  month  of  June,  just 
as  the  legions  were  beginning  their  daily  drill,  under 
the  personal  inspection  of  Vespasian  and  his  son  Titus, 
there  drove  up  a  magnificent  chariot,  which,  by  the 
grace  of  the  lictors,  was  given  a  place  considerably 
nearer  to  the  exercising  troops  than  was  allowed  to 
the  ordinary  spectator,  for  the  occupant  of  the  chariot 
was  none  other  than  the  fair  princess  Berenice,  who  was 
paying  her  first  visit  to  the  Roman  camp. 

No  sooner  had  Titus  detected  her  presence  upon  the 
field  than  he  at  once  made  his  way  to  her  side.  His 
look  and  voice  alike  told  how  much  he  was  enamored 
of  the  fascinating  princess,  who  at  the  age  of  forty 
had,  like  Cleopatra,  all  the  grace  and  beauty  of  youth. 

"  Princess,  you  seem  sad  to-day,"  said  he,  after  an 
interval  of  silence.     "  Of  what  are  you  thinking?  " 

"  Perhaps,"  she  replied,  with  a  tantalizing  little  sigh, 
*'  perhaps  of  Crispus." 

"  Why  do  you  torment  me  with  the  name  of  a  rival 
who  is  dead?  " 

*' 7.9  he  dead?"  said  Berenice.  "True,  nothing  has 
been  heard  of  him  since  he  parted  from  Terentius  Rufus 
at  Antipatris." 

"  And  that  is  more  than  two  years  ago.  The  ban 
put  upon  him  by  Nero  has  been  revoked.  If  he  be 
alive  why  does  he  not  show  himself,  since  he  has  nothing 
now  to  fear?  " 

"  Except  the  being  claimed  by  a  wife  whom  he  does 
not  like,"  said  Berenice  with  a   silvery  laugh,  and  a 


200  The  Boomed  City 

glance  at  the  house  called  Beth-tamar,  which,  seated 
on  a  lofty  crag,  was  plainly  visible  from  the  camp. 

"  Princess,"  said  Titus,  with  a  tender  look,  "  if  Cris- 
pus  should  ever  return  it  will  mean  to  me " 

Berenice  raised  her  finger  with  a  witching  smile. 

"  Ah  me !  Now  you  are  going  to  make  love  again. 
We  shall  never  be  friends,  if  you  do  that.  Let  me 
watch  your  Romans.     They  interest  me." 

The  air  at  that  moment  was  all  alive  with  the  crisp, 
sharp  commands  of  tribune,  and  centurion,  and  de- 
curion. 

The  exercises  performed  by  the  Romans  compre- 
hended feats  in  running,  leaping,  wrestling,  swimming, 
sword-play,  hurling  the  pilum — everything  in  short 
that  could  add  strength  to  the  body  or  tend  to  success 
in  war. 

Here,  Cretan  archers,  having  set  up  their  targets, 
were  demonstrating  the  deadly  accuracy  of  their  aim. 
There,  Balearic  slingers  were  discharging  their  leaden 
bullets,  which  not  infrequently  melted  with  the  heat  en- 
gendered by  the  swift  rush  of  the  missile  through  the 
air;  here,  a  body  of  soldiers  was  busily  engaged  in 
bridging  within  a  given  time  a  broad  sheet  of  water; 
there,  a  group  were  vigorously  occupied  in  storming  a 
wooden  fortress,  whose  defense  was  as  vigorously  main- 
tained by  a  garrison  of  fellow-Romans. 

"  Why,  it  is  like  war  itself,"  said  Berenice,  fascinated 
by  the  spectacle. 

"  So  like,  that  it  is  the  fashion  of  the  soldiers  to 
call  the  exercise  a  bloodless  battle,  and  the  battle  a 
bloody  exercise." 

"  Where  are  these  men  going?  "  she  asked  as  a  cer- 
tain cohort  tramped  past  at  full  speed. 

"  They  are  marching  to  Dora  and  back." 

"  That  is  not  very  hard  work." 

"  You  think  so,  princess.  But  mark  that  each  sol- 
dier is  carrying  the  full  equipment  customary  in  war 
time,  consisting  of  various  utensils,  as  well  as  victuals 


The  Ambition  of  Berenice  201 

for  fifteen  days,  the  whole  amounting  to  sixty  pounds' 
weight,  not  including  arms,  for  the  Roman  soldier  con- 
siders these,  not  as  a  burden,  but  as  a  part  of  himself. 
Weighted  thus,  he  is  to  march  in  this  burning  sunlight 
to  Dora  and  back,  the  double  journey  being  a  distance 
of  twenty  miles,  and  he  is  to  do  it  within  five  hours. 
If  this  be  not  hard  work,  what  is  ?  " 

"  And  supposing  they  should  take  more  than  five 
hours  ?  " 

"  Terentius  Rufus,  who  rides  at  their  head,  will  see 
to  that." 

"  But  if  they  should  fail.?  " 

"  He  will  punish  them." 

"And  what  will  the  punishment  be?" 

"  It  takes  various  shapes.  Yon  cohort,  as  is  shown 
by  the  carrying  of  the  eagle,  is  the  First  Cohort  of 
the  legion.  They  may  be  degraded  by  being  compelled 
to  resign  the  eagle,  and  to  take  the  second  place ;  or 
their  diet  for  the  week  may  be  barley  bread  instead 
of  wheaten ;  or  they  may  be  excluded  from  their  tents, 
and  made  to  sleep  at  a  distance  from  the  camp." 

"  How  often  do  the  troops  practice  these  exercises.?  " 

"  Every  day  of  the  year." 

"  But  when  a  soldier  has  learned  his  work  ?  " 

"  He  goes  on  practicing  just  the  same.  Let  a  man 
have  been  forty  years  in  the  army,  that  fact  will  not 
exempt  him  from  the  dail^'^  exercise.  And  mark  this : 
every  weapon  you  see  in  use  now,  every  helmet,  breast- 
plate, and  shield,  is  double  the  weight  of  those  used 
in  actual  warfare." 

Berenice  opened  her  eyes  in  wonder. 

"  Why,  a  battle  must  be  an  easier  matter  than  the 
daily  exercise !  " 

Titus  laughed. 

"  The  soldier  would  much  prefer  a  battle,"  said  he. 

Berenice  spoke  no  more  for  a  long  time ;  so  long  that 
Titus  began  to  see  from  her  rapt  expression  that  some 
momentous  thought  was  occupying  her  mind. 


202  The  Boomed  Citij 

"  I  am  thinking,"  said  she,  in  reply  to  his  question- 
ing, "  I  am  thinking  what  /  would  do  with  these  troops, 
were  they  mine." 

"  And  what  would  you  do  with  them,  princess  ? " 
asked  Titus  with  a  smile. 

Instead  of  replying  directly  to  this,  Berenice  put  a 
question. 

"  Is  not  your  father  Vespasian  a  skillful  general.''  " 

"  He  hath  no  equal  in  the  art  of  war ;  it  is  not  I 
only  who  say  this,  but  others." 

"  And  he  is  liked  by  all  the  legions,  near  and  far.''  " 

"  Liked  is  but  a  feeble  word  to  express  his  hold  over 
them." 

"  But  he  is  somewhat  lacking  in  ambition.''  " 

"  Ambition  is  apt  to  die  with  the  sixtieth  year." 

"  But  his  son  Titus  is  ambitious,  and  being  so,  and 
having  great  influence  over  his  father,  should  act  as 
a  spur  to  his  mind." 

"  Princess,"  said  the  puzzled  Titus,  "  to  what  does 
all  this  tend.?" 

"  I  am  thinking,"  said  Berenice,  watching  him  keenly 
from  beneath  the  dark  fringe  of  her  half-closed  eye- 
lids, "  I  am  thinking  what  a  pity  it  is  that  the  great 
Vespasian  should  be  serving  Caesar,  when  he  might  be 
Ceesar  himself.  The  present  emperor  Vitellius  can  show 
no  hereditary  title  to  the  imperial  throne ;  an  ambitious 
general,  he  gained  the  purple  by  fighting  for  it.  Why 
should  Vespasian  not  do  the  like.''  " 

It  was  a  startling  suggestion,  so  startling  as  almost 
to  deprive  Titus  of  breath.  He  glanced  at  the  chariot- 
eer, who  stood  by  the  horses'  heads — glanced  in  fear 
lest  the  man  should  have  overhead  Berenice's  treason- 
able remarks,  despite  the  low  tone  in  which  they  were 
spoken. 

"  When  Titus  can  call  himself  Cassar's  son,"  she  whis- 
pered, "  then  will  Berenice  listen  to  his  love — not  till 
then.  Go,"  she  added,  with  a  little  peremptory  wave 
of  her  hand.     "  Ponder  it  well !  " 


The  Ambition  of  Berenice  203 

Left  to  herself,  the  princess,  sinking  back  upon  the 
silken  cushions  of  her  chariot,  indulged  in  a  pleasing 
reverie. 

"  The  idea  is  new,  and  it  frightens  him,"  she  mur- 
mured with  a  somewhat  contemptuous  smile.  "  But  he 
will  grow  used  to  it.  I  have  sown  the  seed  in  his  mind, 
and  it  will  grow  and  bear  fruit." 

Daringly  original  in  all  her  ways,  Berenice  had  often 
embarked  upon  some  political  enterprise  which,  pro- 
nounced by  her  more  sober-minded  brother  Agrippa  to 
be  impracticable,  had  nevertheless  met  with  brilliant 
success.  Would  she  succeed  in  this,  a  more  daring 
venture  than  any  she  had  hitherto  dreamed  of.''  Why 
not?  All  things  are  possible  to  the  brave,  and  why 
should  not  the  brave  Vespasian,  the  idol  of  the  legions, 
prevail  against  the  feeble-minded  Vitellius,  whose  follies 
were  daily  alienating  the  loyalty  of  the  nations? 

The  chief  obstacle  in  the  way  was  honest  old  Ves- 
pasian himself;  he  might  refuse  to  listen  to  the  voice 
of  the  charmers,  Berenice  and  Titus,  charm  they  never 
so  wisely.  But,  if  otherwise,  and  if  the  enterprise  suc- 
ceeded, what  glory  would  be  hers ! 

Even  now  it  filled  her  with  pride  to  think  that  she 
was,  in  a  manner,  the  mistress  of  all  the  troops  she 
saw  exercising  before  her.  Recover  Jerusalem  they 
might,  and  would ;  but  destroy  it — never !  Thanks  to 
her  influence  over  Titus,  the  holy  citj'  would  be  spared 
from  dilapidation,  the  temple  preserved  from  the  torch. 
She  was  the  new  Esther  destined  to  save  the  Hebrew 
nation  from  destruction — destined,  too,  if  Titus  would 
but  exercise  his  ambition,  to  be  the  empress  of  the 
world,  the  mother,  it  might  be,  of  a  line  of  Csesars,  all 
adherents  of  the  Jewish  faith ! 

And  if  Ca2sar  were  once  the  disciple  of  Moses,  the 
conversion  of  the  world  would  follow. 

In  the  midst  of  these  brilliant  dreams  her  ear  caught 
the  sound  of  a  quiet  footfall ;  and,  turning  her  head, 
she  saw — Crispus! 


204  The  Boomed  City 

She  gave  a  start,  as  was  natural  in  one  who  supposed 
him  dead,  or  at  the  least  to  be  hundreds  of  miles  away. 
Crispus,  keenly  attentive,  fancied  he  could  detect  on 
her  face  an  expression  akin  to  dismay ;  at  any  rate  it 
was  an  expression  very  different  from  her  tender,  lov- 
able look  in  the  Praetorium  when  she  had  avowed  her 
wish  to  stay  and  die  with  him. 

"  I  have   startled  you,  princess." 

"  You  are  as  one  returning  from  the  dead,"  she  said 
with  a  faint  smile. 

"  And  the  dead  are  not  always  welcome  visitors." 

Then  for  a  brief  space  there  was  a  silence,  during 
which  both  seemed  to  be  reflecting. 

"  What  do  you  here?  "  she  asked. 

"  Would  it  surprise  you,  princess,  were  I  to  say  that 
I  am  seeking  my  wife  ?  " 

"Your  wife?"  repeated  Berenice,  in  her  eyes  an 
odd  look  as  of  fear,  at  least  that  is  how  Crispus  inter- 
preted it.     "  Your  wife  ?  " 

"  You  did  not  perhaps  know  that  I  had  a 
wife?" 

"  If  you  keep  the  matter  a  secret  from  the  world 
how  is  one  to  know  it?     What  is  her  name?  " 

"You  do  not  know  it?" 

"  How  should  I?  "  repKed  Berenice  with  a  touch  of 
impatience  in  her  voice. 

"  I  cannot  tell  you  her  name,  seeing  that  it  is  un- 
known to  me."  This  answer  seemed  to  afford  some 
satisfaction  to  Berenice.  "  Na}^  I  have  never  yet  seen 
my  wife's  face." 

"  You  are  telling  me  strange  things,"  laughed  Bere- 
nice. "  I  pray  you,  my  lord  Crispus,  mystify  me  no 
farther,  but  speak  plainly." 

"  Why,  so  I  will." 

Leaning  with  folded  arms  upon  the  broad  brim  of  the 
chariot,  and  looking  directly  into  the  eyes  of  Berenice, 
who  seemed  helplessly  fascinated  by  his  gaze,  Crispus 
proceeded  to  relate  the  story  of  his  marriage. 


The  Ambition  of  Berenice  205 

"  As,"  concluded  he,  with  a  glance  at  the  distant 
Beth-tamar,  "  as  it  was  in  this  neighborhood  that  I 
first  met  Athenais,  I  naturally  turn  to  this  neighbor- 
hood in  the  hope  of  again  meeting  her  here." 

"  And  you  do  not  really  know  who  this  Athenais 
is?" 

"  I  do  not.  As  you  doubtless  know,  King  Polemo 
died  suddenly,  a  year  ago ;  and,  unfortunately  for  me, 
died  without  revealing  the  secret.  But  the  three  years' 
limit  is  now  past,  and  it  is  therefore  permissible  for 
Athenais  to  reveal  herself  by  sending  me  the  ring." 

"  And  if  she  chooses  not  to  reveal  herself,  you  may 
never  know  whom  you  wedded." 

"  That  is  so." 

"  I  greatly  fear,"  said  Berenice  with  a  grave  shake 
of  her  head,  "  that  your  unknown  bride  will  prefer  to 
keep  herself  hidden  from  you." 

"Why  should  she  so  act.''  She  was  not  coerced  into 
the  match.     She  accepted  me  of  her  own  free  will." 

"  True,  but  reflect  that  you  are  not  the  great  Crispus 
of  her  anticipation.  She  wedded  you  in  the  hope  of 
sharing  the  crown  of  Pontus,  and  that  hope  is  now 
extinguished,  Pontus  having  become  annexed  to  the 
empire." 

"  Your  opinion  then  is  that  a  woman  should  take 
for  her  husband  one  well  endowed  with  material  advan- 
tages, and  that  should  he,  through  misfortune,  lose 
these  advantages,  the  woman  is  justified  in  discarding 
him.?-" 

"  Though  woman  may  not  profess  that  doctrine  with 
her  lips,"  smiled  Berenice,  "  she'll  carry  it  out  in  prac- 
tice. But  answer  me  this :  should  you,  by  happy  chance, 
discover  your  wife,  would  you  keep  her  against  her 
will.''  Would  you  not  grant  her  a  divorce,  if  such  were 
her  desire .''  " 

Crispus  gravely  shook  his  head. 

"  She  cannot  part  from  me,  nor  I  from  her,  for  be 
it  known  to  you,  O  princess,  that  I  am  a  Christian,  and 


206  The  Doomed  City 

a  Christian  can  be  separated  from  his  wife  by  death 
only." 

Tidings  so  unexpected  caused  Berenice  to  draw  a 
sharp  breath.  Her  look  of  horror  could  not  have  been 
greater  if  Crispus  had  suddenly  announced  himself  as 
a  deadly  leper. 

"  You,  a  Christian!  "  she  gasped. 

"  The  name  is  displeasing  to  you,  I  know ;  so  it  was 
once  to  me.     If  you  will  hear  me " 

She  cut  him  short  with  an  imperative  gesture. 

"  I  have  had  the  chief  exponent  of  Christianity,  Paul 
of  Tarsus,  lecturing  in  chains  before  me ;  where  he 
failed,  you  can  hardly  hope  to  succeed.  Go ! "  she 
exclaimed,  disdainfully  waving  him  away  with  her  hand 
as  though  he  were  a  slave  or  some  other  inferior  crea- 
ture. "  Yet  stay !  one  question  I  will  ask,"  she  con- 
tinued with  a  certain  uneasiness  of  manner  that  did 
not  escape  Crispus'  notice.  "  In  what  light  do  you, 
as  a  Christian,  regard  the  holy  temple.''  " 

"  As  an  obstacle  to  the  progress  of  Christianity," 
he  replied  significantly,  as  he  turned  on  his  heel  and 
walked  quietly  away.  "  Veni,  vidi,  non  vici,"  he  mur- 
mured sorrowfully. 

Berenice  watched  him  with  a  strange  fear  at  her 
heart. 

"  A  Christian,"  she  murmured ;  "  and  one  who  hates 
the  temple!  Now,  if  he  should  accompany  the  legions 
to  Jerusalem  how  easy  for  him,  when  they  are  camping 
against  the  holy  house,  to  fulfill  his  dream  by  throwing 
a  lighted  torch  through  its  windows.  If  that  be  his 
aim,  I  will  foil  it.  He  shall  not  be  permitted  to  take 
part  in  the  siege.  Titus  shall  prevent  him  from  joining 
the  army.  I  have  but  to  say  the  word  and  Vespasian 
will  banish  him  from  Palestine." 

Meanwhile,  Crispus,  suspecting  something  of  Bere- 
nice's intentions  towards  him,  and  resolving  to  forestall 
her,  walked  along  the  shore  intent  upon  finding  Ves- 
pasian, with  whom  he  had  always  been  a  great  favorite. 


The  Amhition  of  Berenice  207 

He  found  that  general  joining  in  the  exercises  like 
a  common  soldier,  one  of  the  ways  by  which  he  main- 
tained his  popularity  with  the  troops. 

A  burly,  bluff,  red-faced  man  he  looked  less  like  a 
warrior  than  some  honest  old  farmer  who  had  just  for 
sport's  sake  put  on  the  scarlet  paludamentum  of  a 
general. 

He  greeted  Crispus  right  heartily,  and  wanted  to 
know  where  he  had  been  hiding  himself  so  long,  a  ques- 
tion which  by  the  way  Berenice  had  not  thought  of 
asking.  So  Crispus  related  how  upon  his  proscription 
he  had  taken  refuge  with  the  Christians  first  at  Pella 
and  then  at  Antioch,  and  how,  whenever  he  was  in 
danger  of  being  detected  by  the  minions  of  Nero,  the 
brethren  would  convey  him  by  devious  routes  to  some 
other  Christian  community ;  and  how,  in  the  end,  con- 
vinced by  infallible  argument  that  theirs  was  the  true 
and  only  religion,  he  himself  had  joined  the  sect. 

"  A  good  soldier  marred !  "  growled  Vespasian,  on 
hearing  this  last.  "  My  cousin  Flavins  Clemens  is  a 
Christian.  An  excellent  character  once,  but  now  look 
at  him !  Takes  no  interest  in  state  affairs  or  military 
matters.  This  world  is  nothing  to  him.  A  woman 
and  no  man !  mild-mannered,  lacking  in  spirit  and  back- 
bone." 

"  There  is  no  reason,  sire,  why  a  Christian  should 
not  be  a  good  soldier.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  have 
come  hither  to  ask  for  a  place  in  the  army  that  is 
to  be  sent  against  Jerusalem ;  I  care  not  how  humble 
the  post  so  long  as  it  puts  me  in  the  forefront  of  the 
battle." 

"  Now,  that's  the  way  to  talk,"  cried  Vespasian  de- 
lightedly. "  A  place  in  the  army.''  You  shall  have  it. 
There's  a  post  waiting  for  you.  The  First  Cohort  of 
the  Twelfth  Legion  hath  lost  its  tribune." 

"Dead.''"  asked  Crispus. 

"  Dead !  No !  Degraded !  'Twas  but  a  few  days 
ago  he  received  his  baton.     Yesterday  he  came  to  me, 


208  The  Doomed  City 

reeking  with  perfumes.  Ye  gods !  is  it  a  soldier's  busi- 
ness to  be  perfuming  himself.  '  I  would  rather  you 
had  smelled  of  garlic,'  I  cried.  '  Return  to  the  ranks.' 
— You  shall  captain  that  cohort.  You  have  heard  of 
the  Twelfth  Legion  before,  eh.''  'Twas  one  of  those 
that  fled  at  Beth-horon.  They  are  longing  to  redeem 
their  lost  character.  You  shall  show  them  how.  You 
accept  the  post  ^  Good !  Come  with  me  and  let  me 
show  the  First  Cohort  its  new  tribune." 

As  they  made  their  way  along  the  shore  two  figures 
came  walking  slowly  towards  them.  One  was  a  legion- 
ary, wearing  an  armlet  to  which  was  attached  a  chain, 
two  cubits  in  length,  its  other  end  being  fastened  to 
a  similar  armlet  clasped  round  the  wrist  of  a  somewhat 
distinguished-looking   personage. 

It  was  a  Jewish  captive  and  his  Roman  guard. 

The  prisoner  saluted  Vespasian ;  and,  as  if  well  ac- 
quainted with  Crispus,  gave  him   a  friendly  smile. 

Crispus  gazed,  and  then  suddenly  recognizing  the 
captive  he  there  and  then  tendered  him  a  warm  thanks- 
giving; for  the  captive  was  none  other  than  Josephus, 
the  man  who  had  been  instrumental  in  saving  his  life 
by  begging  his  supposed  corpse  from  Eleazar. 

When  Josephus  had  resumed  his  walking,  Vespasian 
remarked : 

"  Of  all  the  rebels  who  fought  against  us  in  Galilee 
that  man  was  the  most  valiant.  When  he  was  taken 
prisoner  I  had  much  ado  at  first  to  keep  our  soldiers 
from  killing  him." 

"  I  deemed  him  to  be  more  of  a  scholar  than  a  war- 
rior." 

"  He  can  handle  both  pen  and  sword,  and  he  hath 
also  prophetical  gifts." 

Crispus  was  naturally  somewhat  surprised  at  this 
last  observation. 

"What  prophecy  hath  he  made.?" 

"  Why,  this.  Though  he  so  bravely  defended  Jota- 
pata   against  us,  he  nevertheless   told  its   inhabitants 


The  Ambition  of  Berenice  209 

that  the  city  was  destined  to  be  taken  on  the  forty- 
seventh  day  of  the  siege,  and  so  it  came  to  pass.  Oh !  " 
he  continued  in  answer  to  Crispus'  look  of  skepticism, 
"  I  know  it  to  be  true,  for  I  made  careful  inquiry 
among  the  captives,  and  all  testified  that  from  the  very 
beginning  Josephus  had  foretold  that  Jotapata  would 
fall  on  the  forty-seventh  day." 

What  was  very  wonderful  to  Vespasian  seemed  simple 
enough  to  Crispus.  If  Josephus,  as  was  very  likely, 
had  formed  the  secret  purpose  of  going  over  to  the 
Roman,  side,  it  would  not  be  difficult  for  him  to  pro- 
long the  defense  of  such  a  rock-fortress  as  Jotapata 
till  the  forty-seventh  day.  The  character  gained  as 
prophet  on  this  occasion  might  stand  him  in  good 
stead  with  the  Roman  general ;  in  point  of  fact  it  had 
already  so  served  him.  Crispus  could  not  help  thinking 
that  the  man  to  whom  he  had  so  much  reason  to  be 
grateful,  was,  nevertheless,  a  somewhat  ambiguous  char- 
acter. 

Glancing  along  the  shore,  Crispus  saw  that  the 
"  prophet  "  had  halted  in  his  walk  by  the  chariot  of 
Berenice,  and  was  now  conversing  both  with  that  prin- 
cess and  with  Titus.  As  the  three  were  holding  their 
heads  close  together  it  may  be  inferred  that  the  con- 
versation was  a  very  important  one. 

Its  purport  became  apparent  to  Crispus  ere  many 
hours  were  past. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE    MAKING    OF    AN    EMPEROR 

Crispus  had  the  high  honor  of  dining  that  night  in 
the  tent  of  Vespasian  with  a  select  company  of  tribunes, 
Terentius  Rufus  being  of  the  number. 

Titus  was,  of  course,  present.  His  office  of  second 
in  command,  added  to  the  glory  gained  by  him  in  the 
Galilsean  campaign,  had  disposed  him  to  adopt  a  some- 
what lofty  air  towards  his  former  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances ;  but  Crispus  had  acquired  the  Christian  grace  of 
humility,  and  the  patronage  that  he  might  have  re- 
sented in  his  pagan  days  now  afforded  him  matter  only 
for  a  little  quiet  amusement. 

Let  Titus  receive  his  just  due,  however";  though  Bere- 
nice had  earnestly  pressed  him  to  persuade  Vespasian  to 
exclude  Crispus  from  the  army  intended  to  act  against 
Jerusalem,  he  had  declined  the  task  as  an  ungenerous 
one.  "  If  Crispus  wishes  to  play  the  soldier,  I  am 
not  the  man  to  prevent  him,"  he  said,  an  answer  that 
considerably  mortified  the  proud  princess,  as  showing 
that  Titus  was  not  quite  the  plastic  clay  she  had 
thought  him. 

The  fare  provided  by  Vespasian  for  his  guests  was 
simple,  as  became  the  tastes  of  the  general,  and  they 
sat  to  it. 

"  I  hate  the  effeminate  habit  of  reclining  at  meals," 
said  he. 

The  conversation  at  table  naturally  turned  upon  the 
war,  and  Crispus,  who  knew  little  of  the  then  state  of 
Jerusalem,  received  some  enlightenment  from  Vespasian. 

"  True  is  the  saying,"  said  he,  "  that  those  whom  the 
gods  wish  to  destroy  they  first  make  mad.  Listen  to 
what  is  happening  at  Jerusalem. 

210 


The  Making  of  an  Emperor  211 

"  Simon  of  Gerasa,  disgusted  that  his  great  services 
should  be  passed  over  by  the  Sanhedrim  while  Eleazar 
was  rewarded  with  the  government  of  a  province,  re- 
tired from  Jerusalem ;  and,  collecting  a  numerous  body 
of  followers,  took  to  brigandage  again. 

"  Whilst  Eleazar  was  administering  the  affairs  of 
Idumaea,  a  certain  ambitious  Zealot  seized  the  oppor- 
tunity to  make  himself  master  of  the  temple ;  by  a 
singular  confusion  of  names  this  new  captain  is  called 
Eleazar. 

"  In  the  meantime  that  fierce  Zealot,  John  of  Gis- 
cala,  defeated  by  us  in  Galilee,  fled  to  Jerusalem,  where, 
becoming  powerful,  he  played  the  tyrant,  putting  the 
rich  to  death,  and  seizing  their  wealth. 

"  The  high  priest  Matthias  sought  to  free  the  miser- 
able people  by  calling  in  the  aid  of  Simon ;  he  came, 
but  was  unable  to  expel  John. 

"  The  result  is  that  the  city  is  now  groaning  beneath 
the  tyranny  of  three  factions. 

"  Simon  rules  in  Zion,  with  the  Tower  of  Phasaelus 
for  his  palace;  John  holds  the  Lower  City,  and  the 
outer  courts  of  the  temple;  Eleazar  keeps  jealous 
guard  over  the  Sanctuary. 

"  These  three  Zealots,  each  aiming  at  sovereignty, 
wage  war  with  one  another  by  night  and  by  day. 

*'  Titus  would  have  me  march  to  Jerusalem  at  once, 
but  why  should  I,  when  they  are  doing  our  work  so 
effectually?  At  sight  of  us,  faction  would  disappear; 
they  would  unite  their  arms  against  the  common  enemy. 
No ;  let  them  go  on  with  their  internecine  warfare  till 
two  of  the  factions  are  exterminated,  and  then  we  will 
deal  with  the  survivor." 

"  Sound  policy !  "  commented  Rufus. 

Crispus,  with  his  Christianized  way  of  thinking,  could 
not  help  seeing  in  the  terrible  state  of  the  city  the 
working  out  of  a  Divine  retribution.  The  people  that 
had  cried,  "  Not  this  man,  but  Barabbas,"  desiring 
that  a  murderer  might  be  granted  to  them,  were  now 


212  The  Doomed  City 

delivered  over  to  the  rule  of  murderers.  "  The  assas- 
sin's dagger  was  to  sway  the  last  councils  of  their 
dying  nationality." 

Rufus  now  added  his  contribution  to  the  story  of 
Israel's  degradation. 

"  And,  that  they  might  not  have  a  moralist  per- 
petually rebuking  them  for  their  misdoings,  the  Zea- 
lots of  Eleazar's  party  deposed  the  high  priest  Mat- 
thias; and,  calling  for  the  register  of  priests,  they 
broke  through  all  precedent  by  casting  lots  for  the 
office.  The  lot  fell  upon  an  obscurity  named  Phannias, 
a  rustic  so  illiterate  as  scarcely  to  know  what  the  high 
priesthood  meant.  Yet,  they  brought  him  from  his 
native  village ;  and,  putting  the  sacred  vestments  upon 
him,  instructed  him  how  to  act,  finding  matter  for 
laughter  and  sport  in  the  many  blunders  that  he 
made." 

Again  the  finger  of  Divine  retribution!  The  high 
priesthood,  that  had  mocked  at  the  Crucifixion,  had 
itself  become  a  subject  for  mockery,  a  thing  of  scorn. 

Somewhat  to  his  surprise,  Crispus  discovered  that 
Vespasian  at  the  end  of  his  day's  labor  would  some- 
times find  relaxation  in  listening  to  the  discourses  of 
Josephus  upon  Jewish  history  and  Jewish  philosophy. 
He  chose  to  do  so  on  this  present  occasion ;  and,  ac- 
cordingly, after  the  repast  was  over,  a  centurion  was 
dispatched  to  bring  in  the  captive. 

He  came,  linked  as  usual  to  the  guardian  soldier, 
and  advanced  with  an  air  meant  to  be  solemn  and  dig- 
nified, but  which  in  Crispus'  view  was  pompous  only; 
nay,  contradictory  as  it  may  seem,  beneath  this  air  of 
importance  there  was  lurking  an  undercurrent  of  ob- 
sequiousness and  servility  that  set  Crispus  against  him. 
If  ever  man  was  sycophant  this  man  was ! 

"  We  have  sent  for  you,"  began  Vespasian,  "  to 
hear  you  discourse  for  a  time  upon  the  history  and 
laws  of  your  nation." 

"  Sire,  thou  honorest  our  holy  books  by  wishing  to 


The  Making  of  an  Emperor  213 

derive  instruction  from  them.  But,  to-night — to-night, 
I  would  speak,  not  of  the  past,  but  of  the  future." 

"  Of  which  he  knows  no  more  than  you  or  I,"  whis- 
pered Rufus  to  Crispus. 

"  Sire,  when  the  Almighty  created  the  seventy  na- 
tions of  the  earth  he  gave  to  each  its  peculiar  gift ; 
to  the  Roman,  sovereignty  in  war,  and  to  the  Greek, 
supremacy  in  art ;  to  the  Egyptian,  depth  in  wisdom, 
and  to  the  Hebrew,  the  power  of  prophecy.  To  us 
are  granted  at  times  glimpses  of  the  future,  prevision 
denied  to  other  races.  Did  I  not  show  the  knowledge 
of  the  seer  by  declaring  that  Jotapata  would  fall  on 
the  forty-seventh  day  of  the  siege.''  And  now  again 
do  I  lift  the  veil  that  hides  the  future.  The  God  of 
our  fathers  hath  revealed  to  me  that  great  thing 
which  shall  come  to  pass." 

He  advanced  a  step,  accompanied  necessarily  by  the 
soldier ;  and,  falling  on  his  knees  before  Vespasian,  he 
touched  the  ground  with  his  forehead,  saying,  as  he 
made  this  Oriental  salutation: 

"  Hail,  C^sar  that  is  to  be  !  " 

As  if  a  chasm  had  suddenly  yawned  at  his  feet, 
Vespasian  started  back  in  an  amazement  so  obviously 
genuine  as  to  show  plainly-  that  this  treasonable  notion 
was  being  sprung  upon  him  for  the  first  time. 

Crispus  shared  in  Vespasian's  amazement,  as  did 
most  of  the  other  officers  present.  Titus  was  the  only 
one  that  showed  no  surprise ;  one  might  have  thought 
that  he  had  been  expecting  something  of  this  kind; 
he  sat  with  his  eyes  keenly  attentive  to  his  father's 
face. 

Crispus  could  not  help  thinking  that  this  little  tab- 
leau was  not  a  spontaneous  ebullition  on  the  part  of 
Josephus,  but  a  premeditated  piece  of  acting,  primarily 
due  to  the  scheming  brain  of  Berenice,  and  seconded 
by  the  ambitious  hopes  of  Titus. 

The  deep  silence  was  broken  by  the  voice  of  Ves- 
pasian, who  spoke  with  stem  indignation. 


214  The  Doomed  City 

"  No  more  of  this.  Thou  talkest  treason — treason 
to  the  reigning  emperor." 

Titus'  face  became  clouded. 

"  If  it  be  treason  to  declare  the  will  of  God,  then 
am  I  talking  treason,"  said  Josephus. 

"  Peace !  I  and  the  legions  have  sworn  to  uphold  the 
throne  of  Vitellius." 

"  They  took  the  oath  with  great  reluctance,  how- 
ever," observed  Titus,  "  and  are  repenting  of  it.  Their 
dissatisfaction  grows  from  day  to  day." 

"  Their  dissatisfaction  shall  not  divert  me  from  the 
path  of  duty." 

"  Seek  not,"  said  Josephus,  "  to  resist  your  destiny. 
Cassar  you  will  be,  in  spite  of  yourself.  For  so  is  it 
written  in  our  sacred  scriptures,  that  one  arising  in 
Judaea  shall  obtain  the  empire  of  the  world."  '" 

Crispus,  in  spite  of  the  debt  he  owed  Josephus,  could 
not  conceal  his  scorn  at  this  amazing  perversion  of 
Messianic  prophecy,  a  perversion  that  showed  to  what 
depth  of  sycophancy  the  soul  of  this  priest  and  Phari- 
see could  descend.  That  the  sacred  predictions  of 
Isaiah  should  receive  their  fulfillment  in  the  elevation 
of  a  heathen  soldier  to  the  throne  of  the  Caesars  was 
to  the  Hebrew  mind  an  interpretation  so  blasphemous 
that  if  Josephus  had  ventured  to  assert  it  among  a 
circle  of  his  own  countr3^men  he  would  most  assuredly 
have  been  torn  to  pieces. 

On  the  present  occasion,  however,  he  was  safe  from 
such  a  fate;  and  if  he  himself  did  not  believe  in  his 
own  statement  what  mattered,  if  the  lie  could  but  ac- 
complish his  purpose? 

"  Rise,"  said  Vespasian  sternly,  for  during  all  this 
time  Josephus  had  been  kneeling.  The  captive  arose; 
and  Vespasian,  turning  to  his  officers,  asked  in  a  tone 
of  pleasantry :  "  How  shall  I  punish  this  knave  for 
urging  me  to  treason?" 

Rufus  answered  him. 

"  Give  him  his  freedom  on  the  day  that  you  become 


The  Making  of  an  Emperor  215 

Caesar.  If  he  hath  prophesied  truly  his  freedom  is 
bound  to  come,  and  if  not " 

Vespasian  slapped  his  thigh  with  a  hearty  laugh. 

"By  Castor,  a  just  sentence!  As  thou  sayest,  so 
shall  it  be." 

A  close  observer  might  have  detected  in  the 
*'  prophet's  "  expression  a  certain  uneasiness  suggestive 
of  the  idea  that  he  was  by  no  means  confident  of  the 
fulfillment  of  his  words. 

"  Retire,"  said  Vespasian,  whose  desire  for  Hebrew 
history  had  vanished.  "  I  will  hear  thee  no  more  to- 
night." 

So  Josephus  departed;  but  when  Titus  began  to 
comment  upon  his  vaticination,  Vespasian  forbade  him 
with  so  stern  an  air  that  Titus  at  once  dropped  the 
subject;  and  when,  later,  a  centurion  looked  in  to  ask 
the  watchword  for  the  night,  Vespasian  wrote  upon 
the  tessera  the  word  "  Fidelitas." 

The  throne  of  the  Caesars ! 

Despite  Vespasian's  repudiation — a  repudiation  made 
at  the  time  in  all  sincerity — it  became  evident  within 
the  space  of  a  few  days  that  the  seed  sown  in  his 
rnind  by  Josephus  was  beginning  to  germinate. 

Under  the  haunting  spell  of  a  new  and  splendid  am- 
bition, he  became  moody,  restless,  uneasy.  Shunning 
the  daily  exercises  of  the  army  he  took  long  walks, 
communing  with  himself  in  lonely  woods.  Deep  in 
thought,  he  would  stare  vacantly  when  addressed;  one 
had  to  speak  twice  or  thrice  ere  he  understood.  At 
times  he  was  heard  to  murmur,  "  I  will  not  do  this 
thing,"  and  his  officers  would  look  at  each  other,  well 
knowing  what  thing  was  meant. 

One  morning,  as  if  wishful  to  escape  from  his  vexing 
thoughts,  he  mounted  a  horse  and  rode  mile  after  mile 
along  the  shore  towards  the  point  where  the  long  ridge 
of  Carmel,  intercepting  the  maritime  road,  thrusts  a 
rocky  bluff  into  the  sea.     In  this  wild  gallop  he  was 


216  The  Boomed  City 

attended  by  his  staff-officers,  Crispus  and  Rufus  being 
of  the  number. 

Arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  mount,  Vespasian,  either 
as  wishing  to  take  a  survey  of  the  country  around, 
or  moved  perhaps  by  a  desire  to  show  what  the  agility 
of  a  man  of  sixty  could  accomplish,  resolved  to  make 
the  ascent ;  and  soon  he  and  his  staff  were  toiling  on 
foot  up  the  craggy  path  that  wound  through  forests 
of  pine,  oak,  and  olive  to  the  point 

"  Where  CarmeVs  -flowery  top  perfumes  the  skies." 

The  glorious  panorama  presented  by  the  mountain- 
ous landscape  and  the  dark-blue  sea  well  rewarded  them 
for  their  climb.  The  officers  were  particularly  inter- 
ested in  pointing  out  to  Crispus  the  various  hill-for- 
tresses of  Galilee — Giscala,  Tabor,  Jotapata — subdued 
by  their  arms  in  the  campaign  of  the  previous  year. 

As  the  staff  moved  first  this  way  and  then  that, 
following  the  steps  of  Vespasian,  they  turned  the  cor- 
ner of  a  crag,  and  came  suddenly  upon  a  stately  figure 
in  a  flowing  white  robe,  who  with  folded  arms  was 
gazing  silently  and  pensively  seaward.  Obviously,  he 
was  a  priest,  since  there  was  in  attendance  upon  him 
a  young  boy  holding  in  his  hands  what  seemed  an 
acerra,  or  box  containing  incense.  Near  by,  formed 
from  a  number  of  rough  unhewn  stones,  was  an  altar, 
upon  which  lay  a  few  dried  shavings  of  cedar-wood. 

The  man  was  not  quite  a  stranger  to  Crispus;  he 
had  seen  him,  or  rather  had  caught  a  fleeting  glimpse 
of  him,  on  the  previous  evening,  holding  converse  with 
Titus  in  a  lonely  spot  at  some  distance  from  the  camp. 
Crispus  had  come  upon  the  pair  unawares,  and  it 
seemed  to  him  that  Titus  was  not  altogether  pleased 
at  being  detected  in  company  with  this  priest,  though 
what  there  was  to  be  vexed  at  it  would  be  hard  to  say. 

On  hearing  footsteps  the  priest  turned,  and  caught 
sight  of  the  armed  men. 


The  Making  of  an  Emperor    .      217 

"Who  art  thou?"  he  asked  of  Vespasian,  as  being 
evidently  the  chief  of  the  band. 

"  I  am  Flavins  Vespasian." 

"  I  know  not  the  name." 

"And  this  is  fame.?"  smiled  Vespasian.  "To  be 
unknown  after  so  many  victories  in  this  Galilaean  prov- 
ince ! " 

"  Hast  thou  dropped  from  the  moon,"  asked  Rufus, 
*'  not  to  have  heard  the  name  of  the  great  Vespasian  ?  " 

"  Content  with  my  grotto,"  said  the  priest,  pointing 
to  a  cave  in  the  face  of  the  rock,  "  and  with  this  altar, 
I  stir  not  from  Carmel," — Crispus,  remembering  where 
he  had  seen  him  last,  wondered  at  this  speech,  but  held 
his  peace, — "  hence  I  know  nothing  of  the  affairs  of 
men.  If  thou  art  some  great  one  of  the  earth,  the  gods 
teach  thee  to  use  thy  power  well." 

"  To  what  deity  is  this  altar  erected.''  "  asked  Ves- 
pasian. 

"  To  the  god  Carmelus,  the  tutelary  genius  of  this 
mountain." 

"Hath  he  no  image  nor  temple.-^" 

"  None.  This  altar — 'tis  composed  of  twelve  stones 
— is  alone  acceptable  to  him.  Such  hath  been  his  wor- 
ship from  ancient  days." 

"  Thou  art  about  to  offer  incense  to  thy  god,  I  per- 
ceive. We  will  join  in  thy  worship.  Offer  on  our 
behalf  as  well  as  on  thine  own." 

And  with  that  the  superstitiously  devout  Vespasian 
doffed  his  helmet,  in  which  act  he  was  imitated  by  the 
rest,  save  Crispus,  who  drew  aside  from  a  ceremony  in- 
compatible with  his  Christian  faith. 

Rufus,  observing  that  the  priest  apparently  lacked 
the  means  of  kindling  a  fire,  offered  him  his  own  flint 
and  steel,  but  they  were  waved  aside  by  the  priest. 

"  Our  rites  forbid  such  method,"  said  he.  "  The 
wood  must  be  kindled  not  by  ordinary  means,  but  by 
the  pure  fire  of  heaven." 

So  saying,  he  produced  a  thick  glass  lens,  with  which 


218  The  Doomed  City  ' 

he  proceeded  to  focus  the  sun's  rays  upon  the  cedar- 
wood. 

Crispus,  whose  Christian  training  among  the  learned 
brethren  of  Tarsus  and  Ephesus  had  embraced  the 
study  of  the  Greek  Septuagint,  murmured  to  him- 
self: ' 

"  Mount  Carmel?  an  altar  of  twelve  stones?  fire  from 
heaven?  This  deity  Carmelus  is  none  other  than  Elijah 
in  a  heathen  guise !  " 

It  was  not  long  ere  the  wood  began  first  to  smolder 
and  then  to  break  into  a  flame.  The  feat  was  one 
as  common  in  that  age  as  in  this,  but  being  new  to 
Vespasian,  he  looked  on  as  though  it  were  a  miracle. 

The  attendant  boy  now  held  forth  the  acerra,  and 
the  priest,  taking  from  it  some  grains  of  incense,  cast 
them  upon  the  fire. 

As  the  strong  fragrance  became  diffused  around  the 
priest  began  the  chanting  of  an  invocation  which  fell 
with  a  somewhat  weird  effect  upon  the  ears  of  the 
Romans,  being  delivered  in  the  Phoenician,  a  tongue  not 
understood  by  them. 

"  Now,  how  know  we  that  this  fellow  is  not  cursing 
us  ?  "  muttered  Ruf us. 

From  time  to  time  the  priest  continued  to  cast  fresh 
incense  upon  the  altar.  It  seemed  that  the  sacrifice 
was  scarcely  acceptable  to  the  god  Carmelus,  for  the 
fire  was  dull  and  smoky,  always  deemed  a  bad  omen. 

Then,  all  in  a  moment,  there  was  a  change. 

A  tongue  of  flame  sprang  up,  high  and  brilliant, 
and  lasting  for  several  moments. 

At  the  first  leap  of  the  fire  the  priest  turned  and 
stared  hard  at  Vespasian,  as  though  that  general  had 
become  suddenly  invested  with  a  new  and  strange  in- 
terest. 

"  Vespasian — if  that  be  thy  name — whatever  project 
thou  now  hast  in  thy  mind,  whether  it  be  the  enlarge- 
ment of  thy  house,  the  augmentation  of  thy  lands,  or 
the  increase  of  thy  slaves,  the  Fates   are  preparing 


The  Making  of  an  Emperor  219 

for  thee  a  splendid  seat,  a  large  territory,  a  multitude 
oi  men. 

The  Roman  officers,  aware  of  the  thought  that  was 
then  paramount  in  the  mind  of  their  general,  looked 
significantly  at  each  other. 

"What  is  thy  name.?"  asked  Vespasian. 

"  What  thine  shalt  be — Basilides." 

Now  this  name  is,  by  interpretation,  a  king ;  and 
therefore  Vespasian  was  not  a  little  startled  to  find  this 
Phoenician  seer  hinting,  and  that  not  obscurely,  at  the 
same  high  destiny  assured  him  by  Josephus.  Surely, 
since  there  had  been  no  previous  concert  between  them, 
that  must  be  true  which  was  prophesied  by  Hebrew 
priest  and  by  Phoenician  priest  alike? 

During  the  course  of  the  long  ride  back  to  camp, 
Crispus  had  ample  time  to  review  the  incident  that 
had  just  happened,  and  he  saw  in  it  not  the  hand  of 
the  gods,  but  the  trickery  of  man,  the  man  in  this  case 
being  Titus,  who  by  subtle  devices  was  luring  his  father 
on  to  make  an  attempt  for  the  imperial  throne. 

Vespasian  on  the  previous  evening  had  announced  his 
intention  of  visiting  Carmel  on  the  morrow,  and  it  had 
therefore  been  a  very  easy  matter  for  Titus  to  obtain 
the  collusion  of  the  priest  Basilides  for  the  purpose  of 
playing  upon  the  superstitious  feelings  of  Vespasian. 
The  sudden  springing  up  of  the  flame  upon  the  altar 
was  a  result  easily  obtainable  by  concealing  a  grain 
of  fat  among  the  incense.  Titus  was  the  real  source 
of  this  "  divine  sign,"  as  well  as  of  the  ambiguous  but 
significant  oracle  delivered  by  Basilides. 

Crispus  hesitated  whether  to  enlighten  Vespasian  as 
to  how  he  was  being  duped  into  believing  himself  to 
be  a  recipient  of  divine  signs,  but  finally  resolved  to 
hold  his  peace.  What  mattered  it  how  Vespasian  was 
induced  to  revolt,  whether  by  necessity,  reason,  or 
superstition,  so  long  as  he  did  revolt?  The  rule  of 
Vespasian  would  be  infinitely  preferable  to  that  of 
the  bestial  Vitellius.     And  when  Crispus,   further  re- 


220  The  Doomed  City 

fleeting  that  should  a  Flavian  dynasty  be  established, 
and  should  Titus  and  Domitian — both  at  present  child- 
less— die  without  issue,  the  next  heir  to  the  throne 
would  be  Flavius  Clemens,  an  adlierent  of  the  faith, 
he  began  to  wonder  whether  a  Christian  Caesar  might 
not  be  among  the  possibilities  of  the  near  future. 

So  here  was  Crispus  wishing,  like  Berenice,  to  see 
Vespasian  upon  the  throne,  though  for  a  different  rea- 
son— she  hoping  to  promote  the  cause  of  Judaism,  he 
hoping  to  promote  the  cause  of  Christianity. 

The  course  of  the  next  few  days  furnished  additional 
proof  that  subtle  art  was  being  employed  to  make  Ves- 
pasian accept  a  position  almost  akin  to  that  foretold 
of  the  Messiah. 

"Do  I  look  like  a  god.''"  said  he  with  a  caustic 
smile,  entering  the  tent  of  Rufus,  who  chanced  to  be 
alone. 

Truth  to  tell  there  was  little  in  the  homely,  and 
even  vulgar,  aspect  of  Vespasian  to  suggest  kinship 
with  the  Olympian  divinities,  but  naturally  Rufus  did 
not  say  so,  contenting  himself  with  asking  the  general 
to  explain  his  meaning.  Then  Vespasian,  sitting  down, 
proceeded  to  tell  a  strange  story. 

"  There  hath  been  wont  to  sit  at  the  fountain  beside 
the  gate  of  Caesarea  a  blind  man.  This  morning  as  I 
was  passing  by  the  gate  I  saw  a  little  crowd  gathered 
there,  and  among  them  this  blind  man.  Guided  by  two 
friends,  he  drew  near,  and,  kneeling  at  my  feet,  im- 
plored me  to  cure  his  blindness,  declaring — and  the  two 
that  were  with  him  said  the  same — that  if  I  would  but 
anoint  clay  with  my  spittle,  and  put  the  clay  upon 
his  eyes,  he  would  there  and  then  recover  his  sight. 

"  I  held  my  laughter  and  tried  to  reason  him  out 
of  this  belief,  but  the  more  I  argued  the  more  earnest 
he  became,  and  so  I  left  him  still  kneeling.  But  as  I 
walked  away,  the  poor  fellow's  lamentations  became  so 
pitiful  that  I  could  not  help  turning  back,  determined 
by  making  the  actual  experiment  to  convince  the  man 


The  Making  of  an  Emperor  221 

of  his  folly.  But,  lo !  as  soon  as  the  clay  was  washed 
from  his  eyes  and  I  had  pronounced  the  Hebrew  word 
'  Ephphatha! ' — for  it  seems  these  spells  are  more 
efficacious  when  spoken  in  a  barbarous  language — the 
man  cried  out  in  an  ecstasy  of  delight  that  he  could 
see ! 

"  '  A  miracle !  a  miracle ! '  cried  the  crowd. 

"  '  So  shalt  thou  give  light  to  a  dark  world,  O  Ves- 
pasian,' "  cried  a  voice  which  I  recognized  as  that  of 
the  priest  Theomantes. 

"  As  for  me,  I  doubted  whether  the  man  had  recov- 
ered his  sight,  but  he  gave  proof  of  it  by  telling  what 
number  of  coins  lay  on  my  palm,  and  though  I  changed 
the  number  several  times  he  did  not  once  err. 

"  There  must  be  some  divine  efficacy  in  my  touch 
became  the  opinion  of  the  crowd.  The  news  flew  from 
mouth  to  mouth,  and  as  I  stood  amazed  at  my  own 
deed,  there  came  to  me  a  man  whose  right  arm,  as  if 
paralyzed,  hung  stiff  and  motionless   at  his  side. 

"  '  I  was  a  mason,'  said  he,  '  earning  my  livelihood 
by  my  hands.  I  pray  thee  that  thou  wouldest  make 
this  arm  whole  like  the  other,  that  I  may  not  basely 
beg  my  bread.' 

"  Compliant  with  his  will  I  clasped  his  right  hand 
firmly  in  my  own,  and  after  a  few  moments  he  cried 
out  that  he  had  recovered  the  use  of  the  withered  limb, 
and  gave  evidence  of  his  words  by  freely  gesticulating 
with  it.  Now,  Rufus,  how  explainest  thou  these  mar- 
vels.? " 

These  feats  of  healing,  so  analogous  to  those  re- 
corded in  the  gospel,  as  to  suggest  to  the  mind  of  more 
than  one  historian  the  suspicion  that  they  were  pur- 
posely counterfeited  with  a  view  of  investing  Vespasian 
with  a  sort  of  Messianic  character,  offered  no  difficulty 
whatever  to  the  pagan  mind  of  Rufus. 

"  It  is  clear  to  me,  sire,"  said  he,  fully  believing  in 
the  truth  of  his  own  words,  "  that  the  gods  wish  to 
point  you  out  to  mankind  as  one  distinguished  by  their 


222  The  Boomed  City 

special  favor  and  destined  to  attain  a  dignity  and 
splendor  beyond  that  of  ordinary  mortals." 

And  the  perplexed  Vespasian,  though  the  least  con- 
ceited of  men,  was  gradually  driven  to  adopt  this 
opinion  in  view  of  these  strange  happenings. 

A  few  days  afterwards,  Mucianus,  the  Legate  of 
Syria,  arrived  at  Csesarea,  having  come  direct  thither 
from  a  brief  visit  paid  to  Rome. 

He  was  accompanied  by  Tiberius  Alexander,  the  pre- 
fect of  Egypt.  A  Jew  by  birth,  a  nephew,  in  fact, 
of  the  brilliant  theologian  Philo  Judseus,  Tiberius 
Alexander  had  deserted  his  ancestral  faith  for  Gre- 
cian paganism,  a  conversion  unique  in  the  annals  of 
Judaism. 

Vespasian  at  once  hastened  from  the  camp  to  Csesarea 
to  pay  his  respects  to  Mucianus,  who,  besides  being  his 
life-long  friend,  was  also  his  superior  in  office. 

The  two  illustrious  visitors  had  accepted  the  hospi- 
tality of  Berenice,  and  it  was  in  the  palace  of  that 
intriguing  princess  that  Vespasian  and  Titus  met  them 
in  a  consultation  upon  which  hung  the  destiny  of  an 
empire. 

"  The  senate  of  Rome,"  began  Mucianus,  "  loathes 
the  rule  of  the  bestial  Vitellius  and  his  brutal  soldiery. 
Shall  I  tell  you  what  are  likewise  the  secret  whisper- 
ings of  the  people  in  the  forum.?  '  Would  to  the  gods 
that  Vespasian  would  deliver  us  from  this  glutton,  who 
has  already  spent  seven  million  sesterces  upon  his 
stomach ! '  Vespasian,  you  have  but  to  proclaim  your- 
self Cassar  here  in  Judaea,  and  Rome — yea,  and  all  the 
provinces,  will  rise  in  your  favor.  I  have  here  a  list, 
and  'tis  a  long  one,  of  Roman  patricians  who  have 
sworn  to  me  that  they  are  willing  to  risk  their  lives 
and  fortunes  in  your  cause." 

Vespasian,  having  listened  to  all  this,  and  much  more 
of  like  import,  showed  his  indifference  to  the  imperial 
throne  by  offering  it  to  Mucianus !  A  plain,  sensible 
man,  and  a  born  soldier,  Vespasian  cared  little  who  was 


The  Making  of  an  Emperor  223 

Ca?sar  so  long  as  he  himself  should  hold  the  chief 
military  command. 

But  however  much  Mucianus  may  have  desired  the 
purple  he  knew  that  his  chances  of  obtaining  it  were 
infinitely  small,  and  he  therefore  continued  to  press  its 
acceptance  upon  Vespasian. 

"  Syria  and  its  four  legions  are  with  you,"  said  he. 

"  And  I  can  promise  you  Egypt,"  observed  Tiberius 
Alexander.  "  As  soon  as  you  are  proclaimed  Caesar 
I  will  cause  the  legions  of  Alexandria  to  take  the  oath 
of  allegiance  to  you." 

"  And  then  your  first  act  must  be  to  stop  the  corn- 
ships  from  sailing,"  said  Berenice,  who  was  taking 
part  in  these  deliberations. 

"  A  wise  policy !  "  commented  Titus. 

The  possession  of  Egypt,  as  the  conspirators  well 
knew,  was  extremely  important  from  a  political  point 
of  view,  the  populace  of  Rome  being  almost  dependent 
for  their  existence  upon  the  supplies  of  grain  exported 
from  Alexandria.  Famine  at  the  heart  of  the  empire 
would  not  be  favorable  to  the  cause  of  Vitellius. 

"  With  Syria,  Palestine,  and  Egypt  on  your  side," 
pursued  Mucianus,  "  you  will  occupy  a  continuous  and 
united  territory.  Your  rear  you  must  secure  by  an 
alliance  with  the  Parthians.  As  to  your  front,  by  land 
it  is  accessible  only  by  way  of  the  Taurus  mountains ; 
occupy  the  Syrian  and  Cilician  Gates,  and  you  can 
bid  defiance  to  any  attack  coming  from  that  quarter. 
As  to  your  sea-front  we  have  in  Phoenicia  the  finest  race 
of  seamen  in  the  world,  and  in  the  cedars  of  Libanus 
an  inexhaustible  supply  of  timber  for  shipbuilding. 
Phoenicia  falls  within  my  province.  Bid  me  do  it,  and 
ere  two  months  be  out  you  shall  have  a  fleet  of  triremes 
that  shall  guard  all  coasts  from  Cilicia  to  Cyrene. 
Thus  secure,  we  may  advance  to  attack  Vitellius,  or 
await  him  here,  as  may  best  seem  convenient  to  us." 

But  Vespasian,  prudent  and  cautious,  still  delayed 
his  final  answer. 


224  The  Boomed  City 

Accordingly,  after  his  withdrawal  the  remaining  con* 
clave,  at  Berenice's  suggestion,  determined  to  force  the 
hand  of  the  reluctant  general,  that  princess  propound- 
ing an  ingenious  scheme  for  the  purpose. 

"  You,  Titus,"  said  she,  "  must  persuade  all  the 
soldiers  in  the  camp  to  salute  Vespasian  with  the  title 
of  Caesar." 

"  They  want  no  persuading.  The  difficulty  is  that 
he'll  refuse  to  listen  to  them." 

"  He  will  be  compelled." 

"How  so?" 

"  Vitellius  will  hear  of  it.  He  cannot  with  dignity 
pass  over  such  treason.  He'll  demand  that  these  dis- 
loyal legions  be  punished.  In  declining  this  task — 
for  how  can  he  punish  a  whole  army? — Vespasian  will 
become  an  object  of  suspicion  to  Vitellius.  He'll  be 
summoned  to  Rome ;  to  go  will  be  certain  death.  There- 
fore, if  the  legions  here  persist  in  crying  '  Hail,  Caesar ! ' 
whenever  Vespasian  appears,  he  must  either  accept  the 
title  or  be  prepared  for  immediate  ruin." 

"  Princess,  you  have  it,"  cried  Mucianus  admiringly. 
*'  The  plan  cannot  fail.  Now,  Titus,  do  your  part, 
whilst  Alexander  and  I  hasten  to  set  our  provinces  in 
order." 

The  conspirators  departed  to  put  their  plan  into 
operation. 

It  succeeded  admirably. 

On  the  third  of  July  a.d.  69  Vespasian  was  pro- 
claimed emperor  by  the  legions  of  Caesarea.  His  eleva- 
tion was  everywhere  received  with  delight.  Embassies 
from  various  cities  and  provinces  hurried  to  Csesarea, 
bringing  addresses  of  congratulation  and  crowns  of 
honor;  within  a  month  Vespasian  had  received  the  sub- 
mission of  all  the  East,  with  the  exception  of  Jerusalem 
and  its  immediate  neighborhood. 

And  the  prophecy,  long  current  in  the  East,  not 
only  among  the  Jews,  but  likewise  among  other  nations, 
that  one  coming  from  Judaea  should  obtain  the  empire 


The  Making  of  an  Emperor  225 

of  the  world,  was  thought  to  have  received  its  fulfill- 
ment at  last ! 

It  was  decided  at  a  council  composed  of  Eastern 
statesmen  and  Roman  warriors  that  Mucianus  should 
proceed  by  land  against  Italy,  that  Titus  should  carry 
on  the  war  against  Jerusalem,  and  that  Vespasian 
should  retire  to  Alexandria,  and  there  await  the  issue 
of  events. 

"  And  now,  O  father,"  said  Titus,  delighted  at  hav- 
ing attained  the  rank  of  Caesar — for  to  be  scrupulously 
exact  that  was  his  title  as  heir-apparent,  the  reigning 
emperor  being  called  Augustus — "  now,  O  father,  re- 
member your  promise  and  release  Josephus  from  his 
bonds,  else  will  it  be  a  shameful  thing  that  the  man 
who  told  beforehand  of  your  coming  to  empire,  and 
hath  been  the  minister  of  a  divine  message  to  you, 
should  still  be  retained  in  the  condition  of  a  cap- 
tive." 

It  was  in  the  camp  at  Caesarea  that  these  words  were 
spoken.  So  Vespasian  sent  for  Josephus,  who  came 
still  wearing  the  chain  that  bound  him  to  the  guardian 
soldier. 

The  new  emperor  gave  orders  that  the  captive  should 
be  set  at  liberty ;  and  accordingly  the  soldier  was  about 
to  loose  the  chain  when  Titus  intervened,  suggesting 
that  the  chain  should  be  cut  from  him,  this  being  the 
Roman  method  with  such  as  were  bound  without  just 
cause. 

This  advice  being  agreeable  to  Vespasian,  a  smith 
was  sent  for,  a  fellow  strong  and  dexterous  of  arm, 
who  cut  the  chain  to  pieces. 

"  Josephus,  thou  art  free,"  exclaimed  Vespasian, 
"  and  the  citizenship  of  Rome  is  thine." 

"  Call  me  no  more  Josephus,"  said  the  liberated  one, 
boldly  venturing  to  assume  the  name  of  his  imperial 
patron.  "  Henceforth  let  all  men  know  me  as  Titus 
Flavius." 

"  Titus,"    said    Vespasian,     referring    to    his    son, 


226  The  Doomed  City 

"  Titus  has  the  glory  of  being  Csesar.  Josephus 
has " 

"  Flavius,  sire,"  murmured  the  adopter  of  that 
name,  remonstratingly. 

"  Flavius,  then,  to  please  you.  Flavius  has  received 
the  honor  of  the  citizenship.  What  honor,"  he  con- 
tinued, turning  to  Crispus,  "  what  honor  shall  we  con- 
fer upon  you?  " 

On  the  point  of  replying  that  the  emperor's  friend- 
ship was  of  itself  a  sufficient  honor,  Crispus  paused, 
suddenly  seized  by  a  happy  idea. 

"  There  is  one  favor  I  would  ask,  sire — a  very  simple 
one." 

"Name  it." 

"  'Tis  of  a  private  nature.  I  prefer  to  state  it  before 
you  and  Titus  only." 

Vespasian  looked  surprised.  He  gave  a  nod,  and 
Josephus  and  the  others  withdrew  from  the  tent. 

"Now,  Crispus,  for  what  do  you  make  request.''" 

"  It  may  not  be  known  to  you,  sire,  that  I  have  a 
wife." 

It  certainly  was  news  to  Vespasian,  as  his  looks 
plainly  showed.  Crispus  proceeded  to  relate  in  as  few 
words  as  possible  the  story  of  his  wedding  at  Beth- 
tamar. 

"  Eh !  what  is  this  ?  "  said  the  old  general,  turning 
with  a  chiding  air  to  Titus.  "  You  were  Crispus'  para- 
nymph,  and  yet  you  have  never  told  me  of  it.  Fie 
on  you !  But  what  has  this  to  do  with  the  favor  you 
would  ask.''  "  continued  he,  addressing  Crispus. 

"  You,  sire,  as  emperor,  are  supreme  in  matters  of 
the  law.  'Tis  yours  to  see  that  the  terms  of  a  contract 
be  fulfilled.  Therefore  I  ask  that  when  I  discover  this 
woman  she  shall  be  made  to  keep  her  nuptial  pledge." 

"  Find  her,  and  if  you  want  her,  you  shall  have  her, 
be  she  never  so  reluctant,"  said  Vespasian,  smiling 
grimly.     "Who  is  she  to  refuse  my  bravest  tribune?" 

In  that  immoral  age  fidelity  to  a  wife  was  a  rare 


The  Making  of  an  Emperor  227 

virtue,  and  one  that  commended  itself  to  honest  old 
Vespasian. 

"  You  swear  it,  sire,  that  no  man  shall  be  permitted 
to  take  her  from  me?  " 

Vespasian  was  painfully  impressed  by  the  tense, 
earnest  look  of  Crispus. 

"  By  the  gods,  it  shall  go  ill  with  the  man,  if  any 
such  there  be.  He  who  dares  to  take  your  wife  from 
you  shall  be  hanged  on  high — yea,  though  he  were 
my  own  son." 

"  Take  it  not  amiss,  sire,  if  I  ask  for  that  promise 
in  writing." 

While  Vespasian,  surprised  yet  compliant,  was  put- 
ting his  promise  into  documentary  form,  Titus  stood 
silent  in  the  background. 

His  face  at  that  moment  was  a  study,  and  confirmed 
Crispus  in  the  suspicion  he  had  long  entertained. 


CHAPTER  XVm 

THE    PRELIMINARIES    OF    A    GREAT    SIEGE 

It  was  the  spring  of  the  year  a.d.  70,  nearly  nine 
months  after  the  elevation  of  Vespasian  to  the  imperial 
throne,  and  still  the  Roman  legions,  now  under  the  sole 
command  of  Titus,  tarried  in  their  encampment  at 
Csesarea-by-the-sea. 

The  self-confident  Zealots  of  Jerusalem  began  to 
doubt  whether  the  enemy  ever  would  come  within  sight 
of  the  city  again. 

In  the  intervals  of  their  internecine  warfare  they 
were  much  interested  in  watching  the  progress  of  a 
new  planet  or  comet,  fiery  red  in  color. 

It  first  appeared  in  Pisces,  the  constellation  which,  in 
the  astral  lore  of  that  age,  was  supposed  to  be  con- 
nected with  the  fortunes  of  Judaea.  Night  after  night 
it  mounted  higher,  and  ever  higher,  in  the  sky,  seeming 
to  be  making  for  a  point  directly  above  the  holy  city. 

At  the  very  first  sight  of  it  the  multitude  had  cried 
with  one  voice,  "  The  star  of  the  Messiah!  "  Ere  long 
it  became  so  distinct  and  bright  as  to  be  plainly  dis- 
cernible in  the  daytime,  and  crowds  gathered  at  street 
corners  to  stare  at  what  they  devoutly  believed  to  be 
a  heaven-sent  sign. 

The  glorious  day  foretold  by  the  prophets  was  at 
hand  when  the  Jews,  with  the  assistance  of  the  heavenly 
powers,  should  reign  supreme  over  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth.  And  when  the  star,  growing  more  plain, 
was  seen  to  take  the  shape  of  a  sword  '*  with  its  blade 
pointing  in  the  direction  of  the  Roman  Camp  at  Caesa- 
rea,  who  could  doubt  that  it  portended  the  doom  of 
those  who  were  threatening  the  holy  city? 

228 


Preliminaries  of  a  Great  Siege        229 

*'  There  shall  come  a  star  out  of  Jacob,  and  a  scepter 
shall  rise  out  of  Israel." 

Such  was  the  text  upon  which  Rabbi  Simeon  ben 
Gamaliel  proposed  to  give  a  midrash  or  sermon,  an 
announcement  that  attracted  to  the  Royal  Synagogue 
a  congregation  larger  than  any  previously  seen  within 
its  walls. 

Devout  joy  was  at  first  the  prevailing  keynote  of  the 
assembl}' ;  but,  after  the  preliminary  prayers,  a  strange 
uneasiness  fell  upon  them  when  it  was  discovered  that 
the  prescribed  parashoth  or  lesson  for  the  day — and 
there  could  be  no  omitting  it ! — was  that  section  of  the 
Pentateuch  containing  the  solemn  and  thrilling  words 
addressed  to  the  nation  by  the  great  Hebrew  lawgiver 
on  the  eve  of  his  death. 

As  the  chazan  began  his  reading  the  sunlight  with- 
out became  clouded,  and  a  gloom  pervaded  the  edifice, 
a  gloom  that  seemed  to  deepen  with  each  successive 
moment. 

It  was,  of  course,  customary  to  receive  the  reading 
of  the  Law  in  reverential  silence,  but  a  silence  so  tense 
as  the  present  had  never  been  known  in  this  synagogue. 
With  bated  breath  and  with  e^'es  fastened  on  the 
chazan's  face  they  listened  to  the  voice  of  the  divine 
lawgiver  sounding;  down  to  them  through  the  corridors 
of  time. 

"  The  Lord  shall  brinc^  a  nation  against  thee  from 
far,  from  the  end  of  the  earth,  as  swift  as  the  eagle 
flieth;  a  nation  whose  tongue  thou  shalt  not  under- 
stand. A  nation  of  fierce  countenance,  which  shall  not 
regard  the  person  of  the  old,  nor  show  favor  to  the 
young.  .  .  .  And  he  shall  besiege  thee  in  all  thy  gates, 
until  thy  high  and  fenced  walls  come  down,  wherein 
thou  trustedst.  .  .  .  And  thou  shalt  eat  the  fruit  of 
thine  own  body,  the  flesh  of  thy  sons  and  of  thy  daugh- 
ters, in  the  siege  and  in  the  straitness,  wherewith  thine 
enemies  shall  distress  thee.  ...  In  the  morning  thou 
shalt  say,  Would  God  it  were  even !  and  at  even  thou 


230  The  Boomed  City 

shalt  say,  Would  God  it  were  morning !  for  the  fear 
of  thine  heart  wherewith  thou  shalt  fear,  and  for  the 
sight  of  thine  eyes  which  thou  shalt  see." 

At  this  point  the  assembly,  hitherto  as  motionless  and 
as  silent  as  the  dead,  impulsively  started  to  their  feet, 
with  fear  stamped  upon  their  faces. 

It  was  not,  however,  the  words  of  the  Law,  awful 
though  they  were,  that  had  moved  the  worshipers,  but 
a  tumult  coming  from  the  streets  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
synagogue. 

During  the  previous  few  moments  the  air  had  re- 
sounded with  the  running  of  feet  intermingled  with  the' 
sound  of  voices. 

Those  voices,  confused  at  first,  had  now  become 
clearly  audible.  Rolling  upward  to  the  skies  in  accents 
of  surprise  and  fear  there  pealed  again  and  again  the 
startling  cry : 

"  THE  ROMANS !     THE  ROMANS  !  " 

The  sight  of  the  Roman  vanguard,  glittering  upon 
the  northern  heights  of  Scopus,  though  it  might  put 
fear  into  the  hearts  of  the  common  people,  served  only 
to  evoke  the  scorn  of  the  Zealots.  Their  astonishing 
victory  over  Cestius,  and  the  fact  that  for  three  years 
no  attempt  had  been  made  to  recover  the  city,  had 
given  them  an  exaggerated  notion  of  their  own  prowess. 

The  Zealots  of  Galilee  might  yield ;  those  of  Jerusa- 
lem were  invincible ! 

"  They  are  the  same  sheep,"  scoffed  Simon,  "  but 
with  a  new  shepherd." 

For  a  long  time  the  Zealots  and  the  people,  massed 
upon  the  northern  wall  of  the  city,  continued  to  watch 
the  distant  host,  who  seemed  to  be  occupied  in  forming 
an  encampment.  Suddenly  a  shout  arose.  Something 
was  seen  to  separate  itself  from  the  common  body,  and 
to  move  forward  quickly  towards  the  city  amid  a  cloud 
of  dust.  That  something  on  a  nearer  approach  proved 
to  be  a  detachment  of  cavalry,  six  hundred  strong, 
led  by  Titus  in  person,  who,  coming  not  to  fight  but 


Preliminaries  of  a  Great  Siege        231 

merely  to  reconnoiter,  rode  bareheaded,  having  left  both 
helmet  and  breastplate  behind.  By  his  side  rode  that 
Jewish  apostate,  Tiberius  Alexander,  who,  having  at 
one  time  been  procurator  of  Judaga,  was  in  a  position 
to  explain  to  Titus  the  topography  of  the  city. 

A  sea  of  faces  glared  at  them  along  the  whole  extent 
of  the  northern  wall;  the  battlements  of  Antonia,  the 
porticoes  of  the  temple,  the  distant  ramparts  of  Mount 
Zion  were  similarly  crowded;  in  all  the  wide  city  there 
was  neither  wall  nor  tower,  neither  roof  nor  window, 
but  showed  a  cluster  of  human  beings.  Their  excited 
cries  blending  together  came  to  the  ears  of  Titus  like 
the  restless  murmur  of  the  sea. 

"  How  many  people  doth  the  city  hold,  think  you.?  " 
he  asked  of  Alexander. 

"  My  spies  report  the  number  to  be  a  million — yea, 
and  a  hundred  thousand  beyond  that.  'Tis  the  eve 
of  the  passover,  and  Jews  from  every  province  of  the 
empire  have  come  up  to  worship." 

"A  million.?  Ye  gods!  Has  this  nation  appointed 
a  rendezvous  for  its  own  destruction.?  But  as  to  the 
fighting  men  ?  " 

"  All  will  fight,  even  children,  if  it  be  to  defend  their 
city  and  their  religion.  The  women  and  girls  will 
weave  their  hair  into  ropes,  if  ropes  be  needed.  The 
priests  themselves  will  arm  should  the  war  approach 
the  temple." 

"  Little  care  I  for  such  foes.  My  concern  is  with 
those  who  have  any  knowledge  of  actual  warfare." 

"  Why,  as  to  that,  Eleazar  guards  the  holy  house 
with  2,400  Zealots ;  John,  your  old  opponent  in  Galilee, 
keeps  the  cloisters  with  6,000.  But  Simon,  who  holds 
Mount  Zion,  is  the  man  to  be  feared.  He  hath  15,000 
fierce  spirits,  so  fanatically  devoted  to  him,  that  each 
would  fall  on  his  own  sword  did  he  but  command  it." 

"Twenty-three  thousand  fighting  men.?  Well,  we 
have  more  than  double  that  number  with  us." 

"  Your  number  may  be  tenfold  theirs,  but  such  su- 


282  The  Doomed  City 

periority  avails  nothing  In  view  of  their  Impregnable 
position. — As  you  see,  O  Csesar,"  he  continued,  pointing 
first  to  the  city,  and  then  to  a  map  that  he  carried,  a 
map  drawn  by  the  hand  of  Josephus,  "  Jerusalem  occu- 
pies the  southern  tongue  of  a  rocky  plateau;  on  the 
east,  on  the  west,  on  the  south,  its  walls  look  down 
upon  ravines  and  valleys  whose  slopes  are  too  steep 
to  be  scaled  by  an  army;  it  Is  from  this  quarter  only 
that  the  attack  can  be  made." 

Titus  recognized  the  fact  at  a  glance.  The  city, 
the  real  city — namely,  the  stronghold  of  Zion — was 
assailable  only  from  the  north,  but  the  way  to  It  was 
barred  by  huge  ramparts. 

Three  gigantic  lines  of  masonry  were  drawn  east 
and  west  across  the  plateau. 

First,  there  was  the  wall  directly  facing  them,  called 
by  the  Jews  the  Third  Wall,  as  being  the  latest  built. 

This,  when  breached  or  surmounted,  opened  the  way 
into  the  northern  suburb  of  Bezetha  or  New-town. 
Marching  through  Bezetha,  the  Romans  would  come 
to  the  Second  or  Middle  Wall,  which,  when  taken,  would 
admit  them  to  Acra  or  the  Lower  GIty ;  passing 
through  Acra,  they  would  find  themselves  staring  help- 
lessly up  at  the  scarped  cliff  of  Mount  Zion  or  the 
Upper  City,  whose  edge  was  surmounted  by  a  wall  so 
lofty  that  the  Titans  themselves  might  have  despaired 
of  scaling  It. 

But  ere  any  attempt  could  be  made  upon  Zion,  It 
would  be  necessary  first  to  take  the  towering  rock- 
citadel  of  Antonia,  and,  secondly,  the  lofty  temple- 
fortress,  otherwise  while  besieging  Zion  they  would  be 
contlnuall}'^  exposed  to  a  flank  attack  from  these  two 
strongholds. 

"  You  have  to  deal,"  said  Tiberius  Alexander,  "  not 
with  one  city,  but  with  five  cities.  A  fivefold  siege  lies 
before  us." 

As  Titus  glanced  with  the  eye  of  a  trained  soldier 
from  point  to  point,  and  took  in  the  nature  of  the  de- 


Preliminaries  of  a  Great  Siege        233 

fenses,  natural  and  artificial,  he  began  to  realize  the 
stupendous  nature  of  the  task  imposed  upon  him. 

Haughtily  enthroned  upon  its  mountain-rock,  this 
Oriental  city  with  its  girdling  enciente  of  walls,  towers 
and  bastions,  seemed  as  if  built  with  set  purpose  to 
triumph  over  every  device  that  could  be  brought  against 
it  by  the  military  science  of  the  West. 

There  was  no  doubt  about  it :  it  was  the  strongest 
CITY  IN  THE  WORLD,  and  if  adequately  provisioned,  and 
defended  with  due  care,  was  absolutely  impregnable. 

"  And  I  have  wagered  Mucianus,"  said  Titus  grimly, 
"  that  I'll  take  it  within  seven  weeks." 

Alexander  gravely  shook  his  head. 

"  Twice  seven  weeks  will  pass — yea,  and  three  times 
seven  weeks — ere  the  eagles  fly  over  Zion." 

In  the  midst  of  this  reconnoitering,  a  gate  by  the 
Women's  Tower  opened,  and  the  Zealots  poured  forth 
in  such  numbers  that  the  little  Roman  band,  after  hold- 
ing their  ground  for  a  time,  deemed  it  prudent  to  beat 
a  retreat. 

Great  was  the  delight  of  the  Jews.  Caesar  himself 
had  been  seen  to  fly !  It  was  the  promise  and  presage 
of  more  glorious  victories. 

Early  next  day  the  Roman  army  advanced  to  within 
a  mile  of  the  northern  wall  of  the  city,  and  there  began 
the  construction  of  two  huge  camps. 

The  forces  of  Titus  consisted  of  four  legions,  the 
fifth  or  Macedonia,  the  tenth  or  Fretens'is,  the  twelfth 
or  Fulminata  (memorable  for  its  flight  under  Cestius), 
and  the  fifteenth  or  Apollinaris. 

In  imperial  times  the  legion  usually  consisted  of 
6,000  men,  all  Roman  citizens,  none  other  being  ad- 
mitted to  its  proud  ranks ;  but  as  each  legion  was 
always  accompanied  by  an  equal  number  of  auxiliaries, 
levied  from  the  subject  nations,  together  with  300  cav- 
alry; and  as  several  petty  kings  of  the  East  (includ- 
ing Agrippa)  had  joined  in  the  expedition,  each  bring- 
ing with  him  his  own  little  army,  the  forces  arrayed 


234  The  Doomed  City 

against  Jerusalem  must  be  stated  at  a  figure  consider- 
ably in  excess  of  50,000. 

Flashing  in  the  morning  sunlight,  the  various  squad- 
rons of  this  vast  host,  horse  and  foot,  heavy-armed 
and  light-armed,  deployed  into  never-ending  lines  upon 
the  brow  of  Olivet  and  upon  the  descent  of  Scopus ; 
and  as  the  Jews  gazed  from  their  walls  upon  the  long 
array  of  eagles  and  standards  bearing  the  letters 
S.P.Q.R.,  they  realized  the  full  meaning  of  the  ex- 
pression "  terrible  as  an  army  with  banners." 

As  the  battering-rams  and  other  ponderous  machines 
used  in  sieging  were  mounted  upon  wheels,  whose  revo- 
lution required  a  comparatively  even  surface,  the  first 
work  of  the  legionaries,  after  forming  their  camp,  was 
to  level  the  ground  between  their  lines  and  the  foot 
of  the  northern  wall. 

This  fore-suburb,  ere  the  Roman  engineers  set  to 
work,  was  a  scene  of  sylvan  beauty,  consisting  of  groves 
and  watercourses,  gardens  and  fair  mansions. 

Now  all  was  ruthlessly  swept  away :  the  trees  fell 
before  the  ax ;  the  watercourses  were  destroyed ;  the 
houses  demolished ;  even  the  deep  and  shady  glens  were 
no  more,  being  filled  up  with  the  picturesque  crags  that 
were  wont  to  overshadow  them. 

While  some  of  the  troops  labored  at  the  rocky 
ground  with  iron  instruments,  others  were  employed 
in  bringing  up  from  the  valley  of  Cedron  countless 
baskets  laden  with  pebbles  and  earth ;  these  were  used 
in  filling  up  the  inequalities  of  the  surface,  the  soldiers 
stamping  the  materials  firmly  with  their  feet. 

In  spite  of  a  cloud  of  missiles  discharged  at  them 
from  the  ramparts,  in  spite  of  the  sudden  and  daring 
sallies  made  by  Simon  and  his  men,  the  Romans  con- 
trived, in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  to  transform  the 
picturesque  fore-suburb  into  a  dreary,  uniform  level. 

While  the  Roman  operations  were  proceeding  with- 
out, the  Jews  within  the  city  were  preparing  to  cele- 
brate the  passover,  memorable  as  being  the  last  in 


Preliminaries  of  a  Great  Siege        235 

THEIE  HISTORY  as   a  nation ;  memorable,  too,  for  the 
armed  fray  that  accompanied  it. 

On  the  fourteenth  of  Nisan,  Eleazar  and  his  party 
opened  the  gates  of  the  upper  temple  to  admit  those 
bringing  the  paschal  lambs.  The  cautions  previously 
exercised  by  him  to  exclude  the  Zealots  of  the  other 
two  factions  seem  to  have  been  wanting  on  this  occa- 
sion. Members  of  John's  party,  with  weapons  con- 
cealed beneath  their  garments,  contrived  to  enter  in 
company  with  the  multitude  of  foreign  pilgrims,  and 
drawing  together  in  a  compact  body,  they  suddenly 
flung  off  their  outer  robes  and  appeared  in  the  panoply 
of  war.  At  this  sight  Eleazar's  faction  flew  to  arms, 
and  a  fierce  melee  took  place  around  the  golden  house, 
innocent  pilgrim  and  guilty  Zealot  alike  falling  fast. 
When  the  fray  ended,  John  of  Giscala  was  master  of 
all  the  temple.  Eleazar  having  fallen,  the  survivors 
of  his  party  consented  to  be  absorbed  in  that  of  the 
victor ;  and  thus  the  three  factions  in  the  city  were 
now  reduced  to  two,  the  Johanneans  and  the  Simonians. 

To  these  Johanneans  Simon  now  made  appeal. 

Standing  on  the  bridge  that  connected  Mount  Zion 
with  the  temple-hill,  he  called  for  John,  and  when  that 
chief  appeared  he  thus  addressed  him: 

"  Shall  a  house  stand  that  is  divided  against  itself.'' 
Why  do  we  fight  each  other,  making  fine  sport  for 
the  foe.''  We  are,  it  seems,  valiant  against  ourselves 
only,  content  to  let  the  city  be  taken  by  our  love  of 
faction.  Let  us  lay  aside  our  enmity,  and  join  in 
opposing  the  common  foe." 

"  Thou  art  a  subtle  knave,  Simon,"  replied  John. 
"  Thou  desirest  me  and  my  forces  to  go  with  thee  to 
the  Wall  of  Agrippa  that  thy  men  in  my  absence  may 
seize  upon  the  temple,  for  all  know  of  thy  desire  to 
make  thyself  tyrant  of  the  city.  However,  I  will  so 
far  assist  thee  that  such  of  my  men  as  are  so  minded 
may  go  with  thee,  but  as  to  myself  and  certain  other, 
we  will  remain  behind  to  defend  the  temple." 


236  The  Doomed  City 

Availing  themselves  of  the  permission  thus  given, 
hundreds  of  John's  men  came  forth  from  the  temple 
to  join  with  the  Simonians  in  the  defense  of  the 
city. 

The  Romans,  having  cleared  the  ground  from  all 
obstructions,  were  now  occupied  in  erecting  opposite 
the  northern  wall  a  series  of  lofty  banks,  upon  which 
to  set  the  engines  used  in  discharging  missile-weapons, 
for  the  higher  the  position  of  these  engines  the  more 
accurate  and  the  more  deadly  their  aim. 

Each  bank  or  agger  was  made  of  earth  strength- 
ened by  beams  of  timber.  During  the  erection  of  these 
banks,  the  Zealots  were  not  content  to  look  idly  on. 
Preceded  by  a  veritable  rain  of  stones  discharged  from 
the  ramparts,  they  poured  forth  by  hundreds,  armed 
with  long  poles  terminating  in  iron  hooks ;  with  these 
they  sought  to  pull  apart  the  beams  composing  the 
agger,  with  intent  to  bring  down  the  whole  mass. 

In  these  sallies  the  Zealots  came  on  with  the  rush 
of  a  whirlwind,  each  man  ready  to  sacrifice  his  life 
provided  only  he  could  kill  one  of  the  enemy,  or  do 
but  the  least  damage  to  the  agger. 

Not  for  a  moment,  however,  could  they  stay  the 
progress  of  the  work.  The  Roman  guard  stationed 
in  front  of  the  banks  drove  back  every  onset ;  and  at 
last  the  Jews,  despairing  of  accomplishing  their  object, 
kept  within  their  walls,  and  sallied  forth  no  more. 

Each  embankment,  when  finished,  presented  a  vertical 
front  to  the  city,  but  the  other  side  was  inclined  at  a 
very  low  angle,  in  order  to  facilitate  the  mounting  of 
the  military  engines :  and  gaps  were  purposely  left  in 
it  to  permit  the  passage  of  the  battering-rams  and 
the  movable  towers. 

The  shrill  reveille  pealed  through  the  Roman  camp, 
rousing  the  legionaries  from  their  slumber. 

Every  man  on  waking  turned  his  eyes  towards  the 
tent   of  Titus,  and  every  face  gleamed  with  a  grim 


Preliminaries  of  a  Great  Siege        237 

satisfaction  at  sight  of  the  scarlet  mantle  hoisted  above 
it,  the  sign  that  the  day  was  to  be  one  of  battle. 

As  the  Roman  host  gazed  upon  the  holy  city  rising 
fair  and  stately  in  the  golden  light  of  an  Eastern 
dawn,  they  were  fain  to  confess  that  it  was  a  city  worth 
fighting  for. 

From  its  walls  the  tocsin  of  war  was  sounding  in 
the  shape  of  a  six-foot  brazen  gong,  whose  deep,  sullen 
tone  reverberated  monotonously  on  the  morning  air. 

The  whole  northern  rampart  was  alive  with  a  multi- 
tude of  Zealot  warriors  moving  to  and  fro,  their  shin- 
ing armor  obscured  at  times  by  faint  columns  of  blue 
smoke. 

The  Romans  knew  well  what  that  smoke  meant. 

Behind  those  battlements  burned  fires,  over  which 
were  slung  cauldrons  hissing  with  scalding  water,  boil- 
ing pitch,  and  molten  lead ! 

At  sight  of  this  smoke  the  Romans  merely  smiled; 
but  at  sight  of  the  military  engines,  disposed  at  due 
intervals  along  the  wall,  they  burned  with  secret  rage, 
being  reminded  of  their  tarnished  honor,  for  these 
engines  represented  a  triumph  over  Romans,  having 
been  captured,  some  from  the  camp  of  Cestius,  and 
others  from  the  Tower  of  Antonia  and  the  Praetorium 
of  Florus. 

Moving  everywhere  along  the  ramparts,  now  giving 
an  order  here,  and  now  a  caution  there,  was  seen  the 
form  of  that  brawny  Titan,  Simon  the  Black,  the  very 
soul  of  battle,  hatred  of  the  Roman  looking  out  from 
his  wild,  dark  eye.  Over  his  armor  he  wore  a  wolf- 
skin mantle  with  the  shaggy  side  turned  outwards, 
a  mantle  that  suggested  to  his  followers  the  prophecy 
(for  he  came  of  the  "little"  tribe),  "Benjamin  shall 
ravin  as  a  wolf." 

Even  those  among  the  Romans  that  were  most  given 
to  the  despising  of  Hebrew  valor,  were  obliged  to 
admit  that  in  Simon  they  had  a  warrior  worthy  of  their 
steel. 


238  The  Doomed  City 

It  was  a  lovely  morning,  giving  promise  of  a  sultry 
noontide ;  a  dazzling  sun  shone  from  a  sky  of  deepest 
blue ;  far  away  on  the  horizon  hung  a  pall  of  pearly 
white  mist. 

As  a  hush  precedes  the  desert  sandstorm,  so  upon 
the  two  armies  there  lay  a  strange  stillness. 

It  was  a  sublime  and  thrilling  spectacle  this,  of  two 
nations  facing  each  other  in  arras — nay,  an  act  in  a 
Divine  drama,  the  true  significance  of  which  was  un- 
derstood by  none  present,  except  by  Crispus  and  the 
very  few  that  were  of  like  faith  with  him.  The  struggle 
was  more  than  it  appeared  upon  the  surface ;  it  was 
not  merely  the  subjugation  of  a  revolted  city,  but  a 
battle  betwixt  two  religions ;  the  religions,  not,  as  might 
be  thought,  Judaism  and  Paganism,  but  Judaism  and 
Christianity.  The  legions  of  Titus,  though  they  knew 
it  not,  were  truly  soldiers  of  the  Cross,  continuing  the 
work  to  which  they  had  been  divinely  pre-ordained — 
the  work  of  the  Church! 

For  the  Romans,  by  uniting  the  nations  of  the  civil- 
ized world  under  one  government,  by  establishing  a  uni- 
versal peace — the  "  Romana  pax  "  that  was  the  just 
boast  of  their  orators ;  by  clearing  the  sea  of  corsairs, 
and  the  land  from  banditti;  by  linking  all  parts  of 
their  empire  with  a  series  of  splendid  roads ;  by  diffus- 
ing among  their  provinces  a  knowledge  of  the  Greek 
language;  had  created  conditions  such  as  had  never 
before  existed  in  the  world's  history :  conditions  that 
were  absolutely  essential,  if  the  Church  were  to  make 
quick  progress ;  conditions  that  enabled  the  evangelist, 
knowing  one  language  only,  to  travel  in  safety  and 
preach  the  faith  from  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates  to 
the  Pillars  of  Hercules. 

The  Roman  legionaries,  paradoxical  as  it  may  sound, 
were  the  coadjutors  of  the  apostles.  They  were  now 
about  to  put  the  final  touches  to  their  work  by  de- 
molishing the  temple,  whose  further  existence  was  an 
obstacle  to  the  free  development  of  Christianity;  and 


Preliminaries  of  a  Great  Siege        239 

by  acting  as  the  sword  of  the  Lord  against  those  who 
had  cried,  "  His  blood  be  on  us  and  on  our  children." 

A.D.  TO  was  the  necessary  sequel  of  a.d.  29 ;  and 
he  who  refuses  to  see  a  Divine  Judgment  in  the  fall 
of  Jerusalem  has  yet  to  learn  the  elements  of  history. 

Ignorant  of  the  high  mission  assigned  to  him,  Titus, 
distinguished  hy  a  purple  mantle  and  by  the  splendor 
of  his  gilded  arms,  had  taken  up  his  station  upon  the 
central  agger.  Beside  him,  and  clothed  in  a  magnifi- 
cent white  robe,  gold-embroidered,  stood  Theomantes, 
the  priest  of  Jupiter  Caesarius,  presiding  at  an  altar 
of  unhewn  stones,  upon  which  there  flamed  a  sacrificial 
ox.  Titus  and  the  Romans  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  this  altar  were  standing  bareheaded  in  reverential 
attitude. 

The  Zealots  upon  the  wall,  keenly  attentive  to  this 
religious  ceremony,  noticed  that  Theomantes,  as  he 
stood  with  his  arms  raised  in  prayer  to  some  deity, 
kept  his  e^'es  fixed  throughout  upon  their  holy  temple. 

A  sudden  suspicion  fell  upon  them.  They  strained 
their  ears  in  the  hope  of  catching  his  utterance,  though 
distance  might  well  forbid  that  hope.  Fortune  favored 
them,  however.  A  breeze  blowing  from  the  north  at 
that  moment  wafted  to  their  ears  the  word — Jehovah  ! 
— a  word  so  sacred  that  it  was  seldom  uttered  even 
by  the  Jews  themselves,  and  never  in  the  presence  of 
a  Gentile. 

How  came  this  pagan  priest  to  know  the  true  name 
of  God,  and  why  was  he  praying  to  Him.'' 

Then  the  full  meaning  of  the  scene  was  borne  in 
upon  them.  It  was  the  ceremony  called  by  the  Romans 
the  Evocation."'  It  was  the  custom  of  that  people 
at  the  beginning  of  a  siege  to  invoke  the  tutelary  deity 
of  the  invested  city,  inviting  him  not  to  be  made  a 
prisoner,  but  to  come  forth  and  take  up  his  abode 
among  the  divinities  of  the  Roman  Capitol.  Without 
such  ceremony  they  would  be  fighting  against  the  gods 
— an  impious  deed ! 


240  The  Doomed  City 

The  ceremony,  ludicrous  or  blasphemous,  according 
as  one  may  view  it,  was  at  all  events  unnecessary  on 
the  present  occasion.  The  tutelary  angels  had  quitted 
the  city,  and  Crispus  was  of  those  who  had  heard  their 
departing  voice. 

To  the  Jews  upon  the  wall,  the  affair  was  as  blas- 
phemy. Jehovah  was  their  own  peculiar  heritage ! 
That  the  heathen  should  dare  pray  to  Him,  above  all 
that  they  should  call  upon  Him  to  quit  the  place  where 
He  had  chosen  to  put  His  name  forever,  was  a  thing 
not  to  be  borne. 

Calling  for  their  most  expert  archer,  they  bade  him 
shoot  down  the  impious  Theomantes. 

But  the  action  was  observed  by  the  quick-eyed  Rufus, 
who  interposed  his  shield  between  the  priest  and  the 
oncoming  arrow. 

A  moment  afterwards  Titus  tossed  his  baton  high 
in  air. 

At  that  sight — the  signal  for  battle — there  rolled 
down  the  Roman  lines  a  shout  that  seemed  to  shake 
the  very  towers  of  the  city,  the  thrilling  war-cry  of 
"ROMA!  ROMA!"  and  with  that  each  man  flew  to 
his  appointed  work. 

The  greatest  siege  in  the  world's  history  had  begun ! 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE    FIEST    day's    FIGHT 

On  the  very  edge  of  each  agger  there  leaped  up,  as 

if  bj  magic,  a  cloud  of  archers  and  slingers,  who,  set- 
ting up  iron  screens  in  front  of  themselves,  proceeded 
to  direct  their  missiles  upon  the  defenders  of  the  battle- 
ments. 

Expert  as  were  these  archers — Cretans  all,  a  nation 
famed  from  Homeric  times  in  the  use  of  the  bow — they 
were  surpassed  in  accuracy  of  aim  by  the  slingers. 
These,  natives  of  the  Balearic  Isles,  had  been  trained 
to  their  work  from  very  childhood,  when  their  daily 
meal,  set  upon  some  high  point,  could  not  be  obtained, 
unless  brought  down  by  themselves  with  the  sling. 
Hence  a  force  of  Baleares  formed  an  adjunct  to  every 
Roman  legion.  Their  missiles,  consisting  both  of 
stones  and  leaden  plummets,  were  discharged  by  a 
triple  whirl  of  the  sling;  with  a  force  so  powerful  that 
headpiece,  breastplate,  and  buckler  afforded  little  pro- 
tection ;  with  a  motion  so  swift  that  the  leaden  plum- 
met, glowing  in  the  air,  sometimes  melted;  with  an  aim 
so  tJ"ue  that  the  slinger  could  not  only  hit  the  face 
of  a  distant  enemy,  but  could  even  hit  whatever  part 
of  the  face  he  chose.  Not  infrequently  the  missile 
bore  some  insulting  inscription ;  and  Simon,  picking 
up  a  stone  that  had  very  nearly  brained  him,  found  it 
marked  with  the  message:  "  AEEAI — Take  this!" 

The  slingers  and  archers  were  aided  in  their  death- 
dealing  business  by  the  workers  of  the  catapults,  ma- 
chines which,  framed  somewhat  upon  the  principle  of 
the  medieval  crossbow,  discharged  gigantic  javelins  and 
beams  headed  with  iron. 

241 


242  The  Doomed  City 

The  Jews  did  not  remain  passive  under  this  attack. 
In  the  use  of  the  bow  and  the  sling  they  were  almost 
as  well  skilled  as  their  opponents,  and  returned  the  fire 
of  the  besiegers  with  a  fire  equally  brisk. 

The  fray  became  more  deadly  as  soon  as  the  Romans 
had  got  their  balistse  into  action. 

These  were  huge  machines,  whose  working  part  con- 
sisted of  an  arrangement  of  levers  and  ropes,  which, 
when  forcibly  drawn  back  and  let  go,  produced  a  tre- 
mendous recoil,  sufficient  to  hurl  ponderous  stones  to 
a  distance  of  three  furlongs,  and  farther. 

These  stones  were  discharged  mainly  for  the  pur- 
pose of  carrying  away  the  battlements,  turrets  and 
parapet  of  the  wall,  so  that,  deprived  of  cover,  the 
defenders  would  be  compelled  to  quit  the  ramparts, 
since  to  remain  there  open  and  exposed  would  mean 
certain  death  at  the  hands  of  the  archers  and  slingers. 
The  withdrawal  of  the  defenders  would  be  the  signal 
for  the  escalade. 

More  than  fifty  of  these  balistae  were  now  at  work, 
making  terrible  havoc,  not  only  with  battlement  and 
parapet,  but  also  with  the  lives  of  the  Jewish  people. 
Some  of  the  stones  hurled  aloft  exceeded  three  hundred 
pounds  in  weight,  and  had  force  sufficient  to  kill  six 
men,  if  taken  in  file.  Josephus  describes  how  he  saw 
a  man's  head  struck  clean  from  his  shoulders  and  car- 
ried to  a  distance  of  three  furlongs !  Anyone  standing 
within  a  yard  of  such  stone  as  it  swept  past  was 
certain  to  be  flung  to  earth  by  the  accompanying  rush 
of  air. 

Such  was  the  effect  of  the  ponderous  rocks  that  now 
went  whirling  over  the  ramparts,  fifteen  or  twenty  at 
a  time,  into  the  suburb  of  Bezetha,  crashing  through 
the  roof  and  wall  of  many  a  private  dwelling,  and 
tumbling  it  into  ruins  amid  the  wild  shrieking  of  its 
hapless  occupants. 

To  this  artillery  Simon  sought  to  reply  with  the 
captured  Roman  balists;  but  the  Zealots,  for  lack  of 


The  First  Day's  Fight  243 

skill  and  practice,  bungled  so  miserably  at  the  task 
as  to  evoke  the  laughter  of  the  enemy. 

While  this  terrific  fusillade  was  going  on,  a  party  of 
Romans  began  to  push  forward  a  pluteus — a  sort  of 
iron  shed  open  at  both  ends  and  running  upon  wheels. 
As  it  moved  along,  the  Romans  walked  beneath  its 
roof,  and  were  thus  effectually  screened  against  the 
missiles  showered  at  them  from  the  battlements. 

As  soon  as  the  pluteus  touched  the  foot  of  the  wall, 
the  party  within,  kneeling  down  upon  the  ground,  set 
to  work  vigorously  with  lever  and  crow,  endeavoring  to 
loosen  the  lower  courses  of  the  masonry. 

Stones  and  darts  were  powerless  against  a  machine 
of  this  kind.  But  Simon's  fertile  brain  had  devised  a 
plan  for  defeating  Its  operations.  Liquid  bitumen,  in 
immense  quantities,  was  flung  upon  the  pluteus,  and 
when  all  the  ground  beneath  It  and  around  it  was  flow- 
ing with  the  liquid,  lighted  torches  were  thrown  down. 
In  a  flash  the  interior  of  the  pluteus  as  well  as  the  air 
above  and  around  became  a  flaming  fire.  With  terrible 
bowlings  the  miserable  Romans,  their  hair,  beard,  and 
garments  alight,  rushed  forth  Into  the  open,  only  to 
be  shot  dead  by  the  Jewish  archers. 

What  Simon  had  done  once  he  was  likely  to  do  again. 
Titus,  therefore,  when  Informed  of  this  Incident  gave 
orders  to  keep  the  plutei  in  reserve  and  to  push  forward 
the  battering-rams. 

One  of  these,  by  reason  of  Its  hugeness,  excited  the 
wonder.  If  not  the  fears,  of  the  Zealots. 

It  was  a  wheeled  tower,  consisting  of  several  stages, 
the  topmost  one  rising  high  above  the  city  wall. 
Through  an  opening  in  the  lower  story  there  projected 
the  gigantic  brazen  head  of  a  ram,  forming  the  fore- 
part of  a  wooden  beam,  120  feet  In  length,  a  beam 
poised  upon  ropes,  and  of  a  weight  so  great  as  to 
require  the  united  strength  of  two  hundred  men  to  put 
it  in  motion.  The  different  stages  in  the  tower  were 
for  the  use  of  archers,  whose  business  it  was  to  clear 


244  The  Doomed  City 

the  enemy  from  that  part  of  the  wall  directly  facing 
the  ram.  A  little  turret  at  the  top  of  the  structure 
afforded  a  coign  of  vantage  for  a  sentinel  to  observe 
and  report  to  those  below  the  doings  of  the  besieged. 

This  structure,  which  was  under  the  charge  of  Rufus, 
bore  the  Greek  name  of  Nico,  or  the  Conqueror,  for 
although  its  powers  had  not  yet  been  tested,  it  was 
confidently  believed  that  no  wall,  however  strong,  could 
long  withstand  the  repeated  shocks  of  the  ram. 

As  soon  as  this  heavy  machine  was  brought  within 
striking  distance  of  the  wall,  two  hundred  brawny 
legionaries,  grasping  a  multiplicity  of  ropes,  began 
slowly  to  draw  the  gigantic  beam  as  far  back  as  it 
would  go ;  then,  at  a  given  signal,  every  man  simul- 
taneously relinquished  his  hold,  and  the  released  beam, 
darting  forward  with  lightning  speed,  came  with  ter- 
rific impact  full  tilt  against  the  wall. 

At  that  mighty  stroke  the  masonry  shivered  from 
parapet  to  foundation.  But  more  appalling  than  the 
shock  itself  was  the  thunder-boom  accompanying  it. 
The  sound  ran  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
city,  terrifying  Vashti  in  her  distant  home  on  Mount 
Zion;  it  was  echoed  and  re-echoed  from  all  the  hills 
around;  it  filled  the  breasts  of  even  the  most  stout- 
hearted of  the  Zealots  with  fear ;  while  from  every  quar- 
ter of  Bezetha  there  came  shrieks  of  terror  from  women 
and  children,  for  all  who  were  not  near  the  spot  made 
sure  that  the  wall  had  fallen  in,  and  that  the  enemy 
were  entering  the  breach. 

Again  that  terrifying  boom !  and  yet  again ! 

Dreadful  as  was  the  sound,  the  agony  of  waiting 
for  it  was  even  more  dreadful.  Some  women,  unable 
to  bear  the  strain,  stopped  their  ears  with  their  fingers ; 
others  fled  to  cellars  and  underground  places  to  escape 
from  the  terror. 

The  whole  Roman  army  was  now  in  working  order; 
forty  thousand  troops  arrayed  against  the  northern 
wall,  and  not  a  man  idle  among  them. 


The  First  Bay's  Fight  245- 

It  was  a  terrific  spectacle,  both  within  and  without 
the  city.  The  groaning  of  the  wounded,  and  the  shriek- 
ing of  the  women ;  the  twanging  of  the  catapults,  and 
the  whizzing  of  darts  and  arrows ;  the  peculiar  hum 
of  the  swift-flying  stones  slung  from  the  balistje;  the 
crash  of  falling  masonry ;  the  shout  of  the  combatants 
hurling  defiance  at  each  other ;  and,  above  all,  the 
thunder-boom  of  the  brazen  rams,  as  they  smote  against 
the  wall — all  contributed  to  form  a  scene  that  tran- 
scends the  power  of  the  pen  to  describe. 

All  in  a  moment  there  was  on  the  part  of  the  Jews 
a  simultaneous  cessation  of  activity ;  their  archers 
stopped  firing;  their  engines  ceased  playing;  the  whole 
force  stood  mute  and  motionless.  A  sight  so  surpris- 
ing caused  a  temporary  suspension  of  hostilities  on 
the  part  of  the  Romans,  who  were  wondering  whether 
this  Jewish  attitude  implied  the  wish  to  surrender. 

The  mystery  was  soon  explained. 

From  the  temple — that  temple  where  priests  were 
falling  dead  or  wounded  from  the  stones  cast  by  the 
engines  of  the  Tenth  Legion,  stationed  upon  Mount 
Olivet,  there  came  the  piercing  clangor  of  the  silver 
trumpets.     It  was  the  time  of  the  morning  sacrifice. 

The  trumpet-peal  was  followed  by  the  lifting  of  every 
Jewish  sword,  and  along  the  whole  length  of  the  ram- 
parts there  rolled  one  sublime  shout,  a  shout  flung  in 
defiance  at  the  polytheism  of  their  opponents,  a  shout 
expressive  of  the  grandest  truth  ever  proclaimed  to 
mankind : 

"  Hear,  O  Israel,  the  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord." 

With  that  they  flew  to  the  fight  with  renewed  ardor. 
And  now  in  the  occasional  lulls  of  the  fray  could  be 
heard  a  voice,  far  off  at  first,  but  drawing  gradually 
nearer,  a  voice  that  by  the  space  of  eight  years  had 
never  ceased  its  melancholy  ditty: 

"  Woe,  woe,  to  Jerusalem  !  " 

Along  the  rampart,  winding  In  and  out  among  the 


246  The  Doomed  City 

ranks  of  the  fighting  Zealots,  who  received  him  with 
black  looks  and  angry  murmurs,  came  the  weird  form 
of  Jesus,  the  son  of  Hanan,  clad,  not  as  was  his  wont 
in  a  garment  of  camel's  hair,  but  in  a  long  robe  of 
white  linen,  such  as  might  be  used  to  enshroud  the 
dead. 

"  A  voice  from  the  East,  a  voice  from  the  West, 
a  voice  against  Jerusalem  and  the  holy  house ! " 

"  Now,  what  doeth  this  madman  here,  putting  fear 
into  the  hearts  of  brave  men?  "  muttered  Simon,  eying 
the  other  darkly.  But,  as  Jesus  approached,  there 
was  in  his  looks  something  so  awe-inspiring  that  the 
Zealot  chief,  who  was  minded  to  do  the  "  madman  " 
hurt,  lowered  his  weapon  and  let  him  pass  on. 

The  wild  figure,  with  its  lifted  arms  outlined  against 
the  sky,  was  plainly  visible  to  the  enemy. 

Now,  there  prevailed  in  those  days  the  belief  that 
it  was  possible  for  a  soothsayer  to  paralyze  the  efforts 
of  a  hostile  army  by  the  utterance  of  magical  spells ; 
and  hence,  the  Romans  being  too  far  off  to  catch  his 
words,  even  if  they  had  been  able  to  understand  his 
Hebrew  language,  mistook  him  for  a  priest  engaged  in 
the  task  of  cursing  them. 

"  His  curses  shall  fall  upon  his  own  pate,"  muttered 
an  angry  balistarius,  directing  his  assistants  to  slew 
the  head  of  the  machine  round  so  as  to  bring  its  aim 
to  bear  athwart  the  line  of  the  moving  figure. 

"  Woe  to  the  city !  Woe  to  the  people !  Woe  to  the 
holy  house !     Woe,  woe,  to  myself  also!  " 

Scarcely  had  this  last  utterance  left  his  mouth  when 
the  stone  prepared  from  all  eternity  for  the  purpose, 
smote  him  so  that  he  fell  to  rise  no  more. 

The  Zealots  gazed  at  the  horribly  mangled  form  in 
fear  and  awe.  This  man,  who  had  prophesied  the 
moment  of  his  own  doom,  had  prophesied  likewise  the 
doom  of  the  city ;  since  his  word  was  true  in  the  one 
case,  why  should  it  not  be  true  in  the  other.? 

Leave  musing  for  the  night;  the  day  is  for  action, 


The  First  Days  Fight  247 

and  the  Zealots  flew  to  obey  tlie  orders  of  Simon,  who 
was  growing  somewhat  concerned  at  the  shaking  of 
the  masonry  caused  by  the  strokes  of  the  ram  Nico. 

He  directed  that  gabions  or  huge  sacks  stuffed  with 
chaff,  should  be  lowered  in  front  of  the  ram  in  order 
to  weaken  the  effect  of  its  blows. 

But  the  simple  device  was  defeated  by  one  equally 
simple.  Projecting  horizontally  from  each  side  of  the 
tower  in  which  the  ram  hung  were  iron  mantelets  or 
screens,  under  cover  of  which  stood  a  number  of  Ro- 
mans armed  with  long  poles  ending  in  sharp  scythes, 
and  with  these  they  severed  the  ropes  from  which  the 
gabion  hung,  and  when  the  defenders  substituted  a 
chain  for  the  rope,  the  Romans  fell  upon  the  gabion 
instead,  so  that  through  a  score  of  rents  the  chaff 
came  pouring  out,  leaving  the  gabion  to  flap  emptily 
against  the  wall. 

"Why  this  waste.'*"  said  Rufus  sarcastically. 
"  They'll  be  glad  of  this  chaff  for  food  before  the  war 
be  over." 

A  third  gabion  was  lowered.  This  time  a  soldier 
bolder  than  his  fellows,  breaking  cover,  ran  forward, 
and  with  a  lighted  torch  fired  the  lower  end  of  the 
gabion.  Instantly  there  shot  upwards  a  column  of 
blinding  smoke  and  dazzling  flame,  whose  heat  drove 
the  holders  of  the  gabion  backwards ;  in  their  confusion 
they  let  go  the  chain,  which  thus  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Romans,  who  punctuated  their  capture  with  an 
extra  loud  boom  of  the  ram. 

"  No  more  burnable  stuff.  Fill  the  sacks  with  earth," 
said  Simon.  For  a  few  moments  he  looked  on,  watch- 
ing the  destruction  of  gabion  after  gabion.  His  brow 
frowning  at  first  began  gradually  to  clear. 

"  What  will  you  say,  Ananus,"  said  he,  turning  to 
one  of  his  fifty  captains,  "  if  I  prophesy  that  within 
a  little  space  the  brazen  head  of  yon  ram  shall  be 
hanging  over  the  gate  of  the  temple,  an  offering  to 
Jehovah.''  " 


248  The  Doomed  City 

"  If  Simon  says  it,  'twill  be  so,"  replied  the  other, 
who  had  unbounded  faith  in  his  chief. 

"  Tie  one  end  of  this  rope  round  my  waist,"  said 
Simon ;  "  securely — for  hereby  hangs  my  life." 

It  was  done. 

"  Now  bring  levers." 

When  they  were  brought  Simon  directed  the  atten- 
tion of  his  followers  to  a  block  of  masonry  which  formed 
part  of  the  battlement  that  directly  overhung  the  head 
of  the  charging  ram. 

"  When  I  lift  my  hand  heave  the  stone  over,  and 
lower  me  with  all  speed." 

Like  a  watchful  lion  waiting  to  swoop  upon  its 
quarry  stood  Simon,  his  eye  upon  the  ram,  which  at 
that  moment  was  being  drawn  back  by  four  hundred 
arms  fresh  to  the  task,  for  the  Romans  wisely  worked 
in  relays  and  a  new  body  of  men  had  just  been  put  on. 

The  released  beam  shot  forward,  humming  through 
the  air. 

Simon  gave  the  signal,  and  the  huge  stone  was  in- 
stantly levered  over  and  fell  plump  upon  the  forepart 
of  the  ram  with  such  good  effect  that  the  brazen  head 
snapped  clean  off  amid  a  mighty  splintering  of  wood- 
work, and  lay  on  the  ground  beside  the  fallen  stone. 

But  it  lay  there  for  a  moment  only. 

A  figure  suspended  at  the  end  of  a  rope  shot  down 
with  lightning  speed,  grasped  the  great  brazen  head 
in  both  arms,  and  was  drawn  up  again ;  and,  almost 
before  the  astonished  Romans  could  realize  what  had 
happened,  there  was  Simon  on  the  ramparts  above 
triumphantly  holding  aloft  the  trophy  he  had  so  dar- 
ingly won. 

"  Simon,  thou  art  a  lion,  and  the  son  of  a  lion," 
said  Ananus  admiringly. 

A  flood  of  curses  broke  from  the  Romans;  the  ram 
was  useless  till  the  damage  had  been  repaired,  and  as 
this  repairing  could  be  effectively  done  only  at  a  dis- 
tance from  the  walls,  there   remained   nothing   for  it 


The  First  Day's  Fight  249 

but  to  drag  the  machine  away  amid  the  mocking  laugh- 
ter of  the  Jews. 

Simon  now  turned  his  attention  to  a  terrible  danger 
approaching  the  wall  in  the  shape  of  a  turris  ambu- 
latoria  or  movable  tower,  seventy-five  feet  in  height, 
made  of  wood,  mounted  upon  wheels,  and  provided  with 
a  drawbridge  by  which  when  lowered  the  besiegers  hoped 
to  leap  upon  the  battlements. 

This  great  tower  was  under  the  charge  of  Crispus. 

It  would  go  ill  with  the  Zealots,  as  Simon  well  knew, 
if  Crispus  and  a  body  of  well-disciplined  Romans  should 
succeed  in  establishing  themselves  upon  the  ramparts. 

Projecting  from  the  rear  of  the  tower,  and  at  a 
height  of  about  four  feet  from  the  ground,  were  six 
long  beams,  each  provided  with  crossbars ;  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  men  had  their  shoulders  set  hard 
against  these  crossbars,  but  in  spite  of  their  efforts 
the  rate  of  progression  was  infinitely  slow,  owing  to 
the  ponderous  weight  of  the  tower. 

The  Zealots  made  vigorous  attempts  to  set  the 
structure  on  fire  by  means  of  flaming  darts ;  these  were 
wooden  shafts,  a  cubit  in  length,  the  head  being  armed 
with  a  triangular  steel  barb  to  which  was  affixed  a  lump 
of  bitumen  or  other  combustible  matter ;  the  dart,  when 
set  alight,  was  hurled  with  great  force  into  the  side 
of  the  tower ;  wherever  it  fixed  itself  in  the  woodwork 
little  jets  of  flame  spurted  forth. 

The  interior  of  the  tower  presented  at  this  moment 
a  scene  of  excitement.  At  every  window  of  every  story 
were  seen  soldiers  repelling  the  attack,  some  by  dis- 
charging javelins  at  the  casters  of  the  fiery  darts, 
others  by  pouring  water  upon  the  hissing  flames,  which 
as  fast  as  they  died  out  in  one  part  leaped  to  life  in 
another. 

Crispus,  moving  from  story  to  story,  directed  the 
operations. 

"  Water,  here !  "  he  cried,  on  seeing  a  dense  volume 
of  smoke  ascending  from  one  side  of  the  tower. 


250  The  Doomed  City 

"  The  supply  has  run  out,"  replied  the  decurion  in 
charge  of  the  water  department. 

Had  Crispus  not  left  his  pagan  days  behind  him  he 
would  have  run  the  fellow  through  for  his  supposed 
negligence. 

"  With  six  water-carts,  and  the  Serpent's  Pool  but 
a  furlong  distant,  you  dare  to  say ^  " 

"  The  Serpent's  Pool  hath  been  so  well  drawn  upon 
by  us  and  by  others  that  it  has  become  exhausted." 

"Ha!  sayest  thou  so.''"  exclaimed  Crispus,  relenting 
somewhat  at  this  explanation.  "  Well,  since  water  be 
denied  us,  hang  out  the  raw  hides,"  he  cried,  for  every 
tower  carried  a  supply  of  these  to  be  used  as  a  pro- 
tection against  fire.  "  And  bring  up  sand  and  earth 
to  drop  upon  the  flames." 

By  these  means  Crispus  contrived,  not  indeed  to 
quench  the  fire,  but  to  keep  it  somewhat  under  control. 

As  soon  as  the  giant  tower  had  been  pushed  to  a 
point  sufficiently  near  for  the  lowering  of  the  draw- 
bridge, the  toiling  troops,  letting  go  the  beams,  grasped 
their  weapons ;  and,  losing  for  the  moment  something 
of  their  Roman  discipline,  scrambled  pell-mell  into  the 
tower,  all  eager  to  be  foremost  in  the  attack,  for  among 
the  Romans  the  soldier  that  was  first  to  mount  the  ram- 
parts of  an  enemy's  city  received — if  he  survived — the 
gift  of  a  Mural  Crown,  a  prize  that  shed  a  glory  over 
the  recipient  to  the  end  of  his  days. 

The  way  out  upon  the  drawbridge,  when  it  should 
be  lowered,  led  from  the  fifth  story ;  it  was  into  this 
chamber,  therefore,  that  the  storming-party  was  now 
crowding.  The  drawbridge,  standing  bolt  upright  be- 
fore the  doorway,  acted  as  a  screen,  but  when  it  fell 
they  would  be  facing  a  storm  of  arrows  and  javelins. 
It  was  almost  certain  death  to  the  men  who  should  be 
foremost  to  run  out  upon  the  drawbridge;  yet,  despite 
the  peril,  each  soldier  was  striving  with  his  fellow  for 
the  honor  of  being  second,  the  first  place  being  claimed 
by  Crispus  himself. 


The  First  Dai/s  Fight  251 

"  A  Cestlus  lost  the  city ;  a  Cestius  shall  recover  it," 
said  he.  "  Stand  by  me,"  he  continued,  addressing  the 
aquilifer,  "  we'll  plant  the  eagle  on  the  ramparts,  or 
die  in  the  attempt." 

For  the  eagle,  though  no  longer  an  object  of  wor- 
ship with  Crispus,  was  still  sacred  in  his  eyes  as  the 
emblem  of  a  glorious  empire. 

It  was  a  thrilling  moment.  As  they  stood  there  in 
a  mass  so  dense  that  each  could  scarce  lift  his  arms, 
they  could  hear  the  never-ceasing  thud-thud  of  the 
fiery  darts  falling  upon  the  outer  walls. 

At  each  side  of  the  doorway,  awaiting  the  signal  to 
lower,  stood  two  brawny  legionaries,  their  hands  upon 
the  ropes  that  worked  the  drawbridge. 

"  All  ready,  men  ?  "  said  Crispus,  with  a  glance  at 
the  set  faces  behind  him. 

The  question  met  with  an  eager  response. 

"  Guard  your  faces  well.     Now  !  " 

Up  went  the  ropes,  and  as  they  swirled  fast  over  the 
creaking  pulleys,  the  upper  end  of  the  drawbridge 
falling  away  from  the  tower  began  a  rapid  descent 
upon  the  city  wall. 

The  sight  was  seen  from  near  and  from  far,  and 
both  armies  set  up  a  simultaneous  roar,  the  one  in 
dismay,  the  other  in  exultation,  a  roar  so  tremendous 
as  to  drown  even  the  thunder-boom  of  the  battering- 
rams. 

Titus,  who  knew  that  Crispus  was  in  charge  of  this 
tower,  slapped  his  thigh  with  a  fierce  joy. 

"  By  the  gods,  Crispus  hath  opened  a  way  into  the 
city  !  "  he  cried. 

Thousands  on  both  sides  paused  in  the  fray  to  watch 
the  contest  upon  the  drawbridge.  Of  what  use  was 
it  to  continue  the  fight  elsewhere,  if  once  this  part  of 
the  wall  should  be  seized  and  held  by  Crispus  and  his 
band.'' 

The  fate  of  Bezetha  at  least,  if  not  of  all  Jerusalem, 
hung  upon  the  issue  of  the  next  few  moments. 


252  The  Boomed  City 

As  the  drawbridge  fell  with  a  miglity  thud  upon 
the  ramparts,  Crispus,  sword  in  hand,  and  with  buckler 
held  before  his  face,  leaped  out  upon  the  shivering  tim- 
bers, followed  by  a  crowd  of  warriors. 

The  sequel  was  appalling ! 

They  found  themselves  amid  a  blinding,  whirling  hur- 
ricane of  arrows  and  darts,  javelins  and  stones,  coming 
from  the  front,  from  the  left,  from  the  right.  Obedient 
to  Simon's  orders  every  Jewish  marksman,  far  and 
near,  from  turret,  battlement  and  loophole,  shot  thick 
and  fast  at  the  devoted  band  upon  the  drawbridge. 
In  such  numbers  and  with  such  fury  did  the  missiles 
smite  upon  helmet  and  breastplate,  shield  and  greave, 
that  the  little  band  were  absolutely  unable  to  advance ; 
they  staggered  to  and  fro  as  though  struck  by  light- 
ning; they  fell,  dead  and  dying  from  the  bridge. 

Crispus,  preserved  from  death  by  the  superior  tem- 
per of  his  armor,  took  several  wounds,  nevertheless ; 
three  arrows  were  quivering  in  his  sword-arm ;  two 
hung  from  the  calf  of  his  leg,  though  the  fierce  excite- 
ment of  the  moment  prevented  him  from  feeling  them. 

For  one  bewildering  moment  he  stood  irresolute ;  then, 
gathering  himself  up  for  a  mighty  effort,  he  darted 
forward  all  alone  across  the  bridge.  Twenty  missiles 
striking  him  at  one  and  the  same  time,  caused  him  to 
reel  like  a  drunken  man. 

Then  came  the  end ! 

Simon  had  not  seen  the  advance  of  the  ambulatory 
tower  without  making  due  preparation  for  its  recep- 
tion. 

The  moment  the  drawbridge  touched  the  battlement 
there  sprang  up  before  it  four  of  his  strongest  cap- 
tains, each  armed  with  a  mighty  ax ;  and,  while  Simon 
with  the  keen  edge  of  his  scimitar  severed  the  ropes 
by  which  the  drawbridge  had  been  lowered,  his  four 
captains  plied  their  axes  with  such  good  effect  that 
ere  the  Romans  could  come  rushing  across  to  prevent 
it,  the  whole  bridge,  cut  clean  off  from  the  battlement, 


The  First  Day's  Fight  253 

swung  downwards,  and  its  living  freight  were  hurled 
precipitately  through  forty  feet  of  air  to  the  rocky 
ground  below,  where  they  lay  a  struggling,  helpless 
mound  of  heads,  arms,  and  legs,  which  in  the  next 
moment  bristled  all  over  with  arrows  shot  at  them 
by  the  delighted  Jewish  archers. 

"  Bring  on  your  next  tower,"  cried  Simon  mock- 
ingly, "  and  we'll  deal  with  it  in  like  fashion." 

Among  the  few  who  contrived  to  limp  painfully  away 
to  a  place  beyond  reach  of  the  enemy's  fire  was  Crispus, 
bruised,  dizzy,  white-faced,  with  a  dozen  arrowheads 
embedded  in  his  flesh. 

Sitting  down,  he  proceeded  to  extract  these  barbs, 
and,  the  means  being  at  hand,  he  anointed  his  wounds 
and  bound  them  with  linen  swathings,  in  which  task 
he  was  engaged  when  Titus  came  up. 

"  Now,  the  gods  be  praised,  you  live.  But  you  are 
wounded ;  there  must  be  no  more  fighting  for  you  to- 
day. Hither,  two  of  you !  Lay  the  noble  Crispus  upon 
a  buckler,  and  carry  him  back  to  camp." 

But  Crispus  vowed  he  was  not  so  hurt  as  to  necessi- 
tate his  immediate  removal. 

"  Mere  flesh-wounds,  though  I  confess  I  am  some- 
what dazed  by  my  fall.  Let  me  rest  for  an  hour  in 
this  cool  shade,  and  I'll  be  ready  for  the  fray  again." 

"  Well,  as  thou  wilt.  Farewell  awhile.  I  am  begin- 
ning to  like  this  Simon ;  he  is  a  foe  worth  fighting." 

Simon's  admirable  tactics  seemed  to  have  a  discour- 
aging eff'ect  upon  the  legionaries.  At  any  rate  the 
attack  began  to  languish.  The  noontide  sun  was  now 
streaming  directly  upon  the  faces  of  the  Romans, 
dazzling  the  eyes  of  the  archers  and  slingers,  and  mar- 
ring the  accuracy  of  their  aim.  The  heat  of  the  day, 
the  clouds  of  dust,  the  toil  of  war  had  produced  among 
the  besiegers  the  agony  of  a  raging  thirst,  a  thirst 
which  they  had  no  means  of  quenching.  The  posca 
• — the  water,  sharpened  with  vinegar — which  every  sol- 
dier was  wont  to  carry  with  him  in  a  leathern  bottle, 


254  The  Boomed  City 

had  long  since  been  drained  to  the  last  drop,  and  no 
further  supply  was  at  hand. 

Crispus,  still  faint  and  dazed,  reclined  against  the 
agger. 

"  O,  for  water !  "  he  murmured. 

"  There  is  none  in  all  the  host,"  remarked  a  soldier 
standing  by.  "  Men  are  offering  a  gold  piece  for  a 
cup  of  water." 

"  And  the  enemy  have  become  aware  of  our  want," 
said  a  second  soldier.  "  See !  they  are  holding  up 
vessels  of  water,  and  wastefully  spilling  it  in  mockery 
at  our  distress." 

Titus  with  a  troubled  face  came  up  at  that  moment. 

"  We  are  in  rueful  strait,"  said  he.  "  Our  men  are 
fainting  for  lack  of  water.  The  Serpent's  Pool  is  ex- 
hausted; Cedron  hath  run  dry.  Our  engineers  cannot 
sink  a  well,  the  rocky  ground  forbidding  it.  Where 
are  we  to  look  for  water.''  " 

"  There  is  a  pool  called  Siloam,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  city,"  replied  Crispus.  "  It  may  not  be 
dry." 

"Ha!"  exclaimed  Titus,  with  new  hope.  "But," 
he  added  doubtfully,  "  whoever  goes  thither  must  pass 
under  the  eastern  wall  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the 
enemy." 

"  But  is  not  the  Tenth  Legion  stationed  on  Olivet 
ready  to  repel  any  sortie  from  that  quarter?  Give 
me  the  water-carts  and  a  convoy  of  two  hundred  horse- 
men, and  I'll  engage  to  return  with  water  enough  for 
the  whole  host." 

"  Take  three  hundred,  and  good  fortune  go  with 
you." 

Ere  many  minutes  were  past  there  went  clattering 
down  the  Vale  of  Cedron  a  long  train  of  wagons,  whose 
drivers  were  escorted  by  a  detachment  of  mounted  sol- 
diers, three  hundred  strong. 

High  above  their  heads  hummed  and  whizzed  volleys 
of  stones  and  darts  slung  from  Olivet  by  the  balistse 


TJie  First  Day's  Fight  255 

and  catapults  of  the  Tenth  Legion,  who  sought  in  this 
way  to  protect  the  movements  of  the  water-seekers. 

Looking  forth  from  the  eastern  wall,  John  of  Gis- 
cala  and  his  Zealots  caught  sight  of  the  Roman  horse- 
men, and  vainly  tried  to  stay  their  progress  by  flights 
of  arrows. 

On  dashed  the  convoy,  past  the  olive  grove  of  Geth- 
semane,  and  now  they  were  in  the  deepest  part  of  the 
Black  Glen ;  far  above  them  on  their  right  was  the 
temple,  towering  aloft  in  the  sunlight  to  the  height 
of  nearly  five  hundred  feet ;  on,  past  the  wall  of  Ophel, 
and,  rounding  its  southern  end,  they  swung  westward. 
Here,  where  the  glen  of  Tyropseon  opens  out  into  the 
Vale  of  Cedron,  was  a  picturesque  spot  known  from 
of  old  as  the  King's  Garden,  and  watered  by  a  streamlet 
from  Siloam. 

To  his  great  joy,  Crispus  found  that  the  Pool  of 
Siloam — a  long,  rectangular  basin,  excavated  in  the 
solid  rock  for  the  reception  of  the  outflow  of  a  spring 
— was  full  of  cool,  limpid  water. 

By  a  coincidence,  too  timely  to  be  regarded  as  for- 
tuitous, Siloam,  whose  waters  had  been  "  sealed  "  for 
nearly  four  years,  had  started  flowing  again  upon  the 
coming  of  the  Roman  army! '"  To  the  Jews  the  Mes- 
sianic fountain  seemed  to  be  playing  the  part  of  a 
traitor.  The  water,  so  long  withheld  from  them,  was 
now  flowing  for  the  enemy.  What  did  it  mean.''  they 
darkly  asked,  failing  to  see  in  this  acted  parable  that 
the  Divine  kingdom  was  being  taken  from  them  and 
given  to  the  Gentiles. 

The  thirsting  Roman  band,  springing  from  their 
steeds,  first  refreshed  themselves,  and  proceeded  next 
with  all  speed  to  the  filhng  of  tlie  water-carts. 

When  the  Jews,  who  were  looking  on  from  the  wall 
of  Ophel,  reahzed  the  object  of  this  sudden  dash  on 
the  part  of  the  Romans,  they  gave  vent  to  indignant 
and  wrathful  cries. 

What.''    Must  the  unclean  and  uncircumcized  heathen 


256  The  Boomed  City 

be  permitted  to  carry  away  for  his  profane  use  the 
water  used  in  the  sacred  rites  of  the  temple?  In  the 
name  of  Elohim — no  ! 

Wide  clanged  the  Fountain  Gate,  and  out  poured  a 
tumultuous  crowd  of  fierce-shouting  saber-brandishing 
Zealots,  led  on  by  John  of  Giscala. 

"  To  horse !  "  sang  out  the  Roman  trumpet ;  and 
instantly  the  troops  mounted  and  swung  into  line. 
Crispus'  question,  "Shall  we  give  them  battle?"  met 
with  an  eager  affirmative.  Not  a  man  among  them  but 
thrilled  with  joy  at  the  prospect  of  a  hand-to-hand 
engagement  with  the  enemy.  For  many  hours  they 
had  been  waging  an  unsatisfactory  warfare  against 
flying  missiles,  but  here  was  something  more  substan- 
tial, something  they  could  flesh  their  steel  upon! 

With  the  spirit  of  his  fighting  ancestors  dancing  in 
his  veins,  Crispus  cried,  "Why  wait  we  here?  We'll 
go  to  meet  them.     Charge!  " 

He  put  his  steed  to  the  gallop,  and  the  whole  three 
hundred,  knee  to  knee  and  sword  in  air,  went  racing 
after  him  up  the  valley  of  Tyropaeon. 

Faster  and  faster  they  whirled  towards  the  foe, 
gathering  momentum  with  every  yard.  The  thunder- 
ing hoofs  and  flashing  steel  made  a  sight  so  nerve- 
shaking  that  the  crowd  of  onrushing  Zealots  came  to 
a  dead  halt. 

"  Stand  fast ! "  yelled  John  to  his  followers. 

The  next  moment  he  was  hurled  to  the  earth,  as  the 
head  of  the  Roman  column  went  crashing  with  irre- 
sistible force  into  the  midst  of  the  Zealots. 

The  contest  was  short  and  sharp.  John's  men  lacked 
the  fire  of  Simon's ;  for  a  moment  only  they  fought, 
then  turned  tail  and  fled;  and  the  delighted  Romans 
chased  and  slew  up  to  the  very  gate  of  the  city,  all 
but  entering  with  the  foe. 

"  John  of  Giscala  hath  escaped  us,"  growled  a  cen- 
turion, as  he  turned  away  from  the  gate  at  which  he 
had  been  savagely  kicking. 


The  First  Day's  Fight  257 

"  He  is  reserved  for  another  day,"  answered  Crispus. 

Laughing  over  their  easy  victory  the  little  band 
galloped  back  to  their  water-carts,  and,  as  they  clat- 
tered again  up  the  valley  of  the  Cedron,  they  cast  gibes 
at  the  discomfited  Zealots  upon  the  wall. 

With  the  arrival  of  the  water  the  thirsting  Roman 
army  imbibed  fresh  energy,  but  though  they  toiled  hard 
till  nightfall  they  failed  to  open  a  way  into  the  city. 

Thus  ended  the  first  day's  fight. 


CHAPTER  XX 

CIRCUMVALLATION 

On  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  siege  the  repaired  ram 
Nico,  or  the  Conqueror,  justified  its  name  by  effecting 
a  breach  in  the  northern  wall ;  and  Simon,  seeing  his 
position  no  longer  tenable,  fell  back  upon  his  second 
line  of  defense. 

This  was  the  first  great  step  in  the  siege. 

The  Romans,  entering  Bezetha  on  the  fifteenth  day, 
proceeded  to  demolish  the  greater  part  of  this  suburb, 
the  demolition  being  necessary  in  order  to  clear  the 
way  for  the  advance  of  the  battering-train. 

Nine  days  more,  and  the  Romans  had  penetrated 
the  second  wall,  and  were  now  masters  of  the  suburb 
of  Acra,  which  they  proceeded  to  treat  in  like  fashion 
with  that  of  Bezetha. 

This  was  the  second  great  step  in  the  siege. 

"  Bezetha  taken  in  fifteen  days,  Acra  in  nine,"  exulted 
Titus.     "  We  are  getting  on." 

Tiberius  Alexander,  to  whom  the  remark  was  ad- 
dressed,  shrugged  his   shoulders. 

"  Mere  outworks,  Cassar.  What  we  have  done  is 
child's  play  compared  with  what  remains  to  be  done." 

Titus  began  to  be  of  the  same  opinion  as  he  stood 
amid  the  fast  dismantling  Acra,  and  surveyed  a  long 
chain  of  defiant  fortresses. 

Before  him  as  he  looked  southwards  rose  the  rugged 
escarpment  of  Mount  Zion,  forty  feet  high,  its  edge 
surmounted  by  a  lofty  wall,  whose  circuit  included 
those  magnificent  towers,  Hippicus,  Phasaelus,  and 
Mariamne,  each  a  citadel  in  itself.     Above  him,  on  his 

258 


Circumvallation  259 

left  hand,  soared  the  temple-fortress,  and  adjacent  to 
it  the  Turris  Antonia,  this  last  standing  on  a  rock, 
which  rock  was  not  only  seventy-five  feet  high,  but 
had  its  perpendicular  sides  cased  with  smooth  marble ! 

After  deliberating  with  his  staff  Titus  resolved  to 
make  a  simultaneous  attack  on  Mount  Zion  and  on 
Antonia. 

But  how  to  reach  these  strongholds  elevated  in  mid- 
air? 

There  was  but  one  way,  by  the  raising  of  banks — 
a  stupendous  operation !  But  the  Romans  were  fa- 
miliarized with  such  tasks,  and,  animated  by  the  same 
resolute  spirit  as  their  general,  they  set  to  work  with 
a  fiery  energy  that  nothing  could  daunt.  Owing  to 
the  scarcity  of  earth,  timber  and  fascines  were  largely 
used  in  the  erection  of  these  works,  to  such  an  extent 
indeed,  that  not  a  tree  remained  within  sight  of  Jeru- 
salem. The  sylvan  beauty  of  the  landscape  vanished ; 
the  Jewish  people,  looking  far  and  wide  from  the  city 
walls,  could  see  around  them  nothing  but  a  treeless 
and  desolate  waste.  On  the  seventeenth  day  a  huge 
embankment  faced  the  northern  side  of  Antonia,  but 
just  when  the  engines  planted  upon  it  were  beginning 
to  play,  the  Romans,  to  their  consternation  and  dis- 
may, found  the  whole  mound  slowly  beginning  to  sink. 
As  the  rate  of  subsidence  varied  in  different  parts, 
chasms  began  to  yawn,  the  rams  and  towers  rolled  this 
way  and  that,  crashing  into  each  other  with  destructive 
effect ;  men  found  themselves  entangled  among  the  ma- 
chines, overwhelmed  with  earth,  suffocated  with  dust;  a 
prodigious  quantity  of  smoke  burst  forth  from  the  em- 
bankment, followed  by  darting  tongues  of  flame.  It 
was  death  to  remain  longer  upon  it,  and  the  amazed 
and  affrighted  Romans,  running  in  all  directions, 
leaped  from  the  mound. 

The  cause  of  it  all  soon  became  clear.  John  of 
Giscala  and  his  Zealot  crew,  toiling  underground  with 
an  energy  almost  superhuman,  had  driven  a  vast  mine 


260  The  Boomed  City 

beneath  the  Roman  agger,  a  mine  whose  roof  and  sup- 
ports were  formed  of  timber,  daubed  with  bitumen, 
sulphur,  and  other  combustibles.  The  ignition  of  these 
supports  caused  the  engulfing  of  the  bank,  and  the 
complete  destruction  of  the  engines. 

"  Seest  thou  what  John  hath  wrought  ? "  cried 
Simon  to  his  followers.  "  Shall  we  be  outdone  by 
him.?" 

Now  a  similar  bank  was  facing  Zion,  and  two  days 
later,  at  eventide,  just  when  the  Romans  had  retired 
to  their  camp,  leaving  the  customary  force  to  guard 
this  bank,  the  gates  of  Zion  opened,  and  from  each  is- 
sued a  crowd  of  Zealots,  every  one  carrying  either  a 
lighted  torch  or  a  vessel  flaming  with  combustibles, 
and  every  one  under  a  cherem  or  curse,  not  to  return 
till  he  had  seen  the  Roman  engines  and  the  Roman  bank 
in  a  blaze. 

Coming  forth,  not  by  hundreds,  but  by  thousands, 
they  poured  down  the  craggy  descent  like  a  flood, 
wave  upon  wave,  and  swept  up  to  the  embankment; 
some,  fighting  like  fiends,  impaled  themselves  upon  the 
points  of  the  Roman  spears,  and  so  died ;  others,  equally 
brave  but  more  fortunate,  broke  through  the  guard, 
scaled  the  embankment,  and,  running  hither  and  thither, 
set  the  engines  alight,  and  finished  the  work  of  de- 
struction by  firing  the  embankment  itself,  so  that  by 
the  time  Titus  and  the  rest  of  the  army  came  up,  the 
huge  platform  of  earth  and  timber  was  a  roaring  sea 
of  unquenchable  flame ! 

Now,  for  the  first  time  during  the  siege,  the  spirit  of 
despair  fell  upon  Titus.  He  began  to  think  with  the 
murmuring  and  superstitious  legionaries  that  the  fiery 
comet  which,  in  the  shape  of  a  sword,  shed  a  red  gleam 
nightly  over  Jerusalem,  was  directing  its  malignant 
influence  not  against  the  Jews  but  against  the  Romans. 

His  mood  was  shown  by  the  letter  directed  jointly 
to  his  father  Vespasian  and  the  Roman  Senate ;  the 
dispatch  omitted  the  customary  formula:  "I  rejoice 


Circumvallation  261 

if  all  is  well  with  you  and  your  children ;  with  myself 
and  the  army  all  is  well." 

All  was  not  well  with  him  and  the  army.  The  tactics 
of  Simon  and  John  had  caused  the  entire  disappear- 
ance of  his  battering-train. 

Was  there  no  other  course  left  him  than  to  order 
the  Greek  engineers  of  Ctesarea  to  construct  a  new  set 
of  military  machines,  an  order  that  would  require  sev- 
eral weeks  for  its  fulfillment.'' 

Many  and  various  were  the  suggestions  put  forth 
at  the  council  held  in  the  tent  of  Titus. 

The  plan  of  massing  the  whole  strength  of  the  legions 
against  a  selected  part  of  the  wall,  and  of  continuing 
the  assault  night  and  day  with  testudo  and  scaling- 
ladder,  regardless  of  the  loss  of  life,  till  the  place  should 
be  finally  stormed,  was  rejected  as  impracticable,  as 
was  also  the  proposition  to  tunnel  a  way  through  the 
rock  into  the  heart  of  the  city. 

Tiberius  Alexander  rose  to  speak. 

"  By  all  means  send  to  Caesarea  for  new  engines," 
said  he.  "  In  the  meantime  we'll  turn  the  siege  into 
a  blockade,  and  make  famine  our  chief  weapon.  Food 
within  the  city  is  already  running  short,  even  among 
the  Zealots  themselves,  so  much  so  that,  if  the  stories 
of  deserters  be  true,  these  same  Zealots  are  robbing  the 
people  of  their  bread,  and  torturing  those  whom  they 
suspect  of  concealing  it. 

"  But  if  the  city  is  to  be  effectually  starved,  we  must 
close  up  every  avenue  of  access.  Now,  hitherto,  we 
have  kept  but  an  ill  watch  upon  the  western  and  south- 
ern sides  of  the  city,  with  the  result  that  certain 
merchants,  despising  the  Roman  power,  and  eager  to 
coin  wealth  out  of  Jewish  necessities,  are  in  the  habit 
of  stealing  nightly  to  the  city  to  supply  its  wants. 
Tyrians  bring  fish,  and  Egyptians  corn ;  Arabs  pur- 
vey dates,  and  the  Nabataeans  supplies  of  bitumen  from 
the  Dead  Sea,  that  fiery  bitumen  whose  effects  we  know 
so  well.     Unless    these   doings   be   stopped,   the  siege 


262  The  Doomed  City 

will  be  prolonged  Indefinitely.  Now,  my  counsel  is  that 
we  encircle  the  city  with  a  wall  to  be  patrolled  night 
and  day ;  so  shall  we  cut  off  the  enemy  from  all  out- 
side help. 

"  And  since  the  more  mouths  there  are  in  the  city 
the  more  quickly  will  food  vanish,  do  you,  O  Caesar,  who 
have  hitherto  dealt  kindly  with  deserters,  make  it  known 
that  henceforth  crucifixion  shall  be  the  lot  of  those  who 
come  to  us  for  pity. 

"  In  six  weeks'  time  they  will  be  eating  each  other, 
and  victory  will  be  ours ;  for  we  shall  be  contending, 
not  with  strong  men,  but  with  gaunt  and  famished 
weaklings,  scarce  able  to  lift  spear  or  shield. 

"  Fasting  is  a  part  of  their  religion,"  this  renegade 
Hebrew  concluded,  with  a  sneer.  "  Let  them  be  made 
to  keep  such  a  fast  as  they  never  before  kept  in  all 
their  history." 

The  counsel  of  Tiberius  Alexander  prevailed,  as  Cris- 
pus  knew  that  it  would  prevail,  even  before  the  prefect 
had  made  an  end  of  speaking.  Vain  was  it  for  others 
to  propose  a  different  plan,  when,  forty  years  pre- 
viously, a  Divine  voice  had  said :  "  Thine  enemies  shall 
cast  a  trench  about  thee,  and  compass  thee  around, 
and  keep  thee  in  on  every  side" 

The  next  day  witnessed  the  beginning  of  the  fatal 
circuit. 

Around  the  doomed  city  was  drawn,  over  high  hill 
and  down  deep  ravine,  a  double  wall;  one,  the  contra- 
vallation,  designed  to  repel  sorties  from  the  city ;  the 
other,  the  circumvallation,  to  repel  attacks  coming 
from  without. 

Each  of  these  Investing  lines  was  defended  on  its 
outer  side  by  a  deep  trench,  and  at  every  third  fur- 
long rose  a  castellum  or  fort,  the  station  of  a  garrison. 

The  whole  of  the  army,  50,000  strong,  was  employed 
upon  the  work,  which  was  completed  at  the  end  of  three 
days;  a  marvelously  quick  feat,  even  for  Romans,  ac- 
customed, as  they  were,  to  trenching  and  embanking. 


Circumvallation  263 

The  Zealots  affected  to  view  these  operations  with 
unconcern,  casting  gibes  at  Titus,  whenever  he  came 
within  earshot. 

Some  of  these  gibes  had  reference  to  Berenice,  who 
was  known  to  be  the  object  of  his  adoration. 

"  The  fair  one  at  Caesarea  is  lonely,"  they  cried. 
"  The  daughter  of  Agrippa  looketh  out  at  a  window, 
and  crieth  through  the  lattice,  '  Why  is  his  char- 
iot so  long  in  coming.''  why  tarry  the  wheels  of  his 
chariot.?'" 

Other  gibes  were  directed  at  Titus'  plebeian  origin. 

"  Thy  father  was  once  a  horse-doctor,"  cried  one. 
"Why  not  return  to  the  old  trade,  Titus?  for  plainly 
thou  art  no  warrior.  Depart,  seeing  that  thou  canst 
not  take  this  city." 

At  this,  Terentlus  Rufus,  growing  fierce  for  the 
honor  of  Csesar,  lifted  up  a  plow  that  by  chance  was 
Ij'Ing  near,  and  swore  a  memorable  oath. 

"  Hear  now  the  vow  I  make,  O  ye  rebels !  With  this 
will  I  plow  Zion  as  one  ploweth  a  field !  " 

A  flight  of  arrows  caused  him  to  retreat,  but  he  kept 
to  his  plow. 

"  Take  this  to  my  tent,"  said  he  to  a  soldier,  "  and 
there  let  it  be  till  the  day  when  I  call  for  it.  Terentlus 
Rufus  will  keep  his  word." 

On  the  first  night  after  the  completion  of  the  invest- 
ing lines  Titus  himself,  accompanied  by  Crispus,  went 
the  round  of  the  watch.  Often  did  the  eyes  of  Crispus 
turn  towards  the  city,  now  sleeping  peacefull}^  beneath 
the  light  of  the  stars.  The  reduction  of  the  place  by 
famine  was  doubtless  justifiable  from  a  military  point 
of  view,  but  he  could  not  help  thinking  of  the  fearful 
anguish  that  would  fill  ten  thousand  homes ;  above  all, 
he  thought  of  Vashti.  He  pictured  her,  tormented  by 
all  the  agonies  of  slow  starvation,  dying  by  inches, 
her  sweet  and  graceful  beauty  all  gone,  a  hollow-eyed 
thing  of  skin  and  bone,  with  brain  crazed  for  the 
lack  of  food,  and  he  scarcely  a  mile  distant  with  bread 


264  The  Boomed  City 

and  to  spare,  yet  unable  to  pass  her  so  little  as  a 
crust. 

When  the  city  should  be  taken,  would  she  be  living 
or  dead?  It  was  a  point  which,  strangely  enough,  had 
not  occurred  to  him  before  that,  if  living,  she  would 
be,  according  to  the  rights  of  war  as  practiced  in  a 
brutal  age,  a  captive  doomed  to  slavery.  He  resolved 
there  and  then  to  claim  her  freedom  from  the  only  man 
capable  of  granting  it. 

"  When  you  take  the  city,  Ca3sar,  there  is  one  whose 
life  and  freedom  I  would  fain  crave." 

"  'Tis  granted,  provided  that  the  object  of  your  re- 
quest be  not  a  descendant  of  David." 

"Why  that  exception.''  "  asked  Crispus  in  great  sur- 
prise. 

"  The  orders  of  my  sire  Vespasian  are  that  I  am 
to  make  search  for  all  that  are  of  David's  line  with  a 
view  to  their  extirpation."  The  Jew  is  convinced  that 
a  descendant  of  this  ancient  royal  house  is  destined 
to  attain  universal  empire,  a  belief  which  has  given  rise 
to  this  present  revolt ;  therefore,  destroy  all  that  are 
of  David's  line,  and  you  extinguish  this  vain  Jewish 
dream." 

How  Crispus  rejoiced  in  the  thought  that  the  saintly 
bishop  Simeon,  and  the  remaining  Desposyni — rela- 
tives of  the  Master — were  at  that  moment  in  distant 
Pella ! 

"  She  for  whom  I  would  make  request,"  said  he,  "  is 
one  Vashti,  daughter  of  Hyrcanus." 

Titus  gave  a  start  of  surprise. 

"  She  to  whom  you  gave  the  golden  zone  at  Caesa- 
rea.?" 

"  The  same,"  replied  Crispus,  conjecturing  that 
Titus'  knowledge  of  this  incident  was  derived  from 
Berenice. 

"What  is  this  maiden  to  you?"  asked  Titus  with  a 
keen  glance. 

"  Much,  seeing  that  but  for  her  I  should  no  longer 


Circumvallation  265 

be  living,"  replied  Crispus,  relating  the  circumstances 
of  his  recovery  from  Eleazar's  sword-thrust. 

Titus  seemed  genuinely  troubled.  Crispus  had  dis- 
tinguished himself  so  well  in  the  siege  that  it  was  hard 
to  refuse  him  this  favor. 

"  Gladly  would  I  grant  your  request,  but  that  it 
comes  too  late.  The  Princess  Berenice  is  desirous  of 
obtaining  possession  of  that  damsel." 

Crispus  at  that  moment  looked  more  dazed  than 
when  he  fell  from  the  drawbridge. 

"  Berenice !  "  he  murmured.  *'  What  would  she  with 
Vashti.?" 

"  The  princess  likes  to  have  pretty  and  graceful 
maidens  about  her.  She  made  me  promise  that  out  of 
the  spoils  of  the  city  I  would  give  her  this  Vashti." 

"And  you  will.?" 

Titus  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  She  was  not  content  with  an  oral  promise.  She 
holds  a  parchment  signed  by  my  hand  empowering  her 
to  claim  Vashti  as  her  slave." 

In  Crispus'  opinion  it  would  be  better,  far  better, 
for  Vashti  to  die  of  slow  starvation  than  to  fall  into 
the  hands  of  the  jealous  Berenice,  whose  only  object 
in  this  enslavement  was  to  gratify  her  spirit  of  re- 
venge. 

He  said  no  more,  knowing  the  uselessness  of  inter- 
ceding, but  he  had  quite  made  up  his  mind  what  he 
would  do ;  and  he  could  do  it,  too,  in  all  good  conscience. 

"  Let  Caesar's  parchment  bond  say  what  it  will,"  said 
he  within  himself.  "  I  will  save  Vashti  from  the  doom 
intended  for  her,  though  it  cost  me  ray  life." 


CHAPTER  XXI 


THE  DYING  CITY 


The  gaunt  specter  of  famine  was  stalking  through 
Jerusalem. 

On  the  very  first  day  of  the  siege  the  price  of  food 
had  mounted  so  high  that  a  bushel  of  wheat  could  not 
be  had  for  less  than  a  talent  of  gold/^  but  as  soon 
as  the  Roman  wall  had  cut  off  the  Jews  from  all  ex- 
ternal supplies  ten  times  ten  talents  could  not  purchase 
even  a  handful  of  grain. 

Then  from  ten  thousand  homes  there  rose  up  the 
cry  for  bread ;  but  the  heaven  above  was  as  brass ;  the 
God  that  had  shed  down  manna  upon  their  forefathers 
remained  cold  to  all  the  wild  wailings  in  the  syna- 
gogues. 

He  who  had  laid  up  food  for  himself  was  not  certain 
of  benefiting  by  his  forethought,  for  the  Zealots  broke 
into  whatsoever  house  they  pleased,  and  upon  those 
suspected  of  concealing  food  they  inflicted  torments 
so  horrible  as  to  seem  rather  the  invention  of  fiends 
than  of  men. 

Among  those  hitherto  preserved  from  the  visits  of 
the  Zealots,  though  living  in  daily  dread  of  such  visits, 
were  Vashti  and  her  mother. 

The  two  dwelt  all  alone,  since  Miriam,  in  expectation 
of  famine,  had  dismissed  her  handmaids  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  siege. 

Vashti  had  never  known  a  more  unhappy  time  than 
the  present,  and  she  had  begun  to  doubt  whether  it 
would  not  have  been  wiser  to  have  followed  the  counsel 
of  the  holy  Simeon  by  escaping  while  it  was  possible 
from  the  doomed  city. 

366 


The  Dying  City  267 

It  was  not  the  gnawing  pangs  of  hunger  that  dis- 
tressed her  so  much  as  the  knowledge  that  she  had  alto- 
gether lost  her  mother's  love.  Miriam  treated  her  with 
an  unkindliness  that  seemed  to  increase  with  each  suc- 
ceeding day.  She  was  forever  reproaching  Vashti  as 
being  a  Christian  and  a  lover  of  the  Romans. 

"  But  I  love  you,  too,  dear  mother,  more  than  all 
the  Christians,  or  would  I  have  remained  here  with  you, 
when  I  might  have  retired  safely  to  Pella?" 

Her  mother  took  no  notice  of  this  pertinent  argu- 
ment, but  began  to  inveigh  against  Crispus,  whose  con- 
spicuous valor  during  the  siege  had  inspired  the  Jews 
with  a  hatred  almost  equal  to  that  felt  for  Titus  him- 
self. 

"  Why  did  you  nurse  him  back  to  life.''  He  is  a 
serpent  repaying  our  kindness  by  doing  all  the  hurt 
he  can  to  the  holy  city." 

Not  wishing  to  vex  her  mother,  Vashti  refrained  from 
argument,  and  went  with  aching  heart  to  survey  their 
fast  diminishing  store  of  provisions.  The  slender  stock 
of  meal,  figs,  and  dried  grapes  would  last  but  a  few 
days  more,  and  then — — .'' 

The  two  women  contented  themselves  with  a  few 
mouthfuls  a  day  in  order  that  little  Arad  might  have 
sufficient  for  his  wants.  He  was  now  between  five  and 
six  years  of  age,  and  was  idolized  at  least  by  his  sister, 
if  not  by  his  mother.  The  child  could  not  help  observ- 
ing how  little  they  ate. 

"  It  is  all  through  the  Romans,"  answered  his  mother 
fiercely,  adding,  say,  '  God  curse  the  Romans ! '  " 

The  little  fellow  repeated  the  words. 

"  Now  you  say  it,  Vashti,"  said  he. 

But  Vashti,  believing  that  the  Romans  were  God's 
ministers,  tearfully  shook  her  head,  and  this  produced 
a  fresh  outburst  of  wrath  on  the  part  of  ^liriam,  who 
seemed  to  take  an  unholy  pleasure  in  setting  the  child 
against  Vashti,  saying  so  many  bitter  things  that 
Vashti  withdrew  weeping. 


268  The  Boomed  City 

At  last  came  the  time  of  starvation.   ' 

For  two  days  the  women  fasted,  giving  to  Arad  what 
remained  of  their  store ;  and,  as  Miriam  watched  him 
eating,  there  was  in  her  eyes  a  look  that  Vashti  did 
not  like  to  see,  a  look  as  if  she  were  begrudging  the 
child  its  food. 

On  the  third  day  he,  too,  had  to  fast. 

His  pitiful  questionings  and  sobbings  gave  additional 
pangs  to  Vashti's  own  anguish.  But  where  was  she 
to  look  for  relief.''  To  solicit  food  from  her  friends 
and  neighbors  would  but  provoke  them  to  mocking 
laughter,  if  indeed  the  power  to  laugh  remained  in 
them.  If  they  had  food,  would  they  part  with  it, 
when  such  act  would  be  but  to  hasten  their  own  end.f^ 
What  was  Arad  to  them?  they  would  say.  Had  they 
not  dying  children  of  their  own.'*  Why  prolong  Arad's 
sufferings.?  The  quicker  death  came  to  him  the  better. 
Such  were  the  answers  Vashti  would  receive,  as  she  very 
well  knew. 

As  for  Miriam,  she  had  grown  neglectful  of  the  boy ; 
faint  and  dizzy,  she  restlessly  tottered  with  feeble  step 
from  room  to  room,  looking  into  every  corner,  probing 
behind  every  piece  of  furniture,  emptying  every  chest 
of  its  contents,  in  the  hope  of  lighting  upon  something 
— anything — that  could  satisfy  for  a  time  the  gnawing 
pangs  of  hunger.     But  vain  was  her  search. 

The  two  women  passed  the  third  night  foodless. 
Arad  cried  himself  to  sleep.  Vashti  spent  the  dark 
hours  in  a  state  between  slumbering  and  waking ;  when 
she  dreamed,  it  was  of  delicious  banquets,  from  which 
with  a  sudden  start  she  would  wake  to  the  dreadful 
realities  of  her  position. 

And  now  dawned  the  fourth  day  of  her  fast,  and 
Arad,  waking  again,  set  up  his  piteous  cry  for  food, 
a  cry  that  went  to  the  heart  of  Vashti.  Must  she  sit 
idly  by,  and  watch  the  child  die? 

A  sudden  thought  set  all  her  nerves  thrilling  with 
joy.     Looking  around  and  finding  her  mother  absent, 


The  Dying  City  269 

she  knelt  beside  his  pallet,  and  whispered  to  him,  "  Don't 
cry,  Arad.  Lie  still,  and  be  good,  and  I'll  bring  you 
something  to  eat." 

Pacified  somewhat  by  this  announcement  the  little 
fellow  became  quiet. 

On  passing  into  the  next  chamber  Vashti  saw  her 
mother  crouching  in  a  corner  upon  the  floor,  her  head 
bowed  down  upon  her  knees.  She  seemed,  as  if  having 
once  sat  down,  to  lack  all  power  to  rise  again.  As 
Vashti  drew  near,  Miriam  feebly  raised  her  head,  and 
stared  in  moody  and  dull  despair  at  her  daughter.  She 
made  no  inquiries  as  to  Arad ;  not  a  word  passed  her 
lips ;  she  had  reached  the  stage  when  speaking  becomes 
painful  and  irritating,  the  stage  when  all  interest  in 
outward  things  ceases,  the  stage  where  one  sits  on  the 
ground  silently  brooding,  waiting  for  the  slow  approach 
of  death. 

Vashti's  youthful  frame  contained  more  life  and 
energy  than  her  mother's,  but  soon  she,  too,  unable 
to  drag  her  limbs  along,  must  sit,  brooding,  silent, 
dying. 

Vashti  said  nothing  to  her  mother.  W^hat  could 
she  say.''     Cheering  words  would  be  but  a  mockery. 

She  climbed  the  stairway,  and  passed  out  upon  the 
roof. 

A  few  weeks  previously  Arad  had  taken  there  a  large 
cake  of  bread  with  a  view  of  amusing  himself  by  toss- 
ing crumbs  up  into  the  air  in  order  to  attract  the 
attention  of  pigeons  and  sparrows.  For  some  reason 
or  other  he  had  not  carried  out  his  purpose,  and  the 
bread  instead  of  being  carried  down  again  was  placed 
by  him  within  a  hollow  under  a  tile  to  be  reserved  for 
the  sport  of  some  other  day.  That  day  had  never 
come,  however ;  and  there  it  had  lain  forgotten  by 
Vashti  till  this  moment.  Was  it  still  there.''  she  won- 
dered. Yes,  there  it  was,  large  enough  to  serve  little 
Arad  for  one  meal.  A  great  temptation  came  upon 
Vashti  to  fix  her  teeth  into  it  there  and  then,  and  gnaw 


270  The  Doomed  City 

awaj  till  nothing  remained;  but  the  thought  of  Arad 
controlled  this  selfish  prompting. 

The  bread  was  as  hard  as  iron,  but  a  little  soaking 
in  water  would  soon  render  it  soft  and  palatable. 

Concealing  the  precious  fragment  within  her  bosom, 
Vashti  descended  the  stairway,  passing  by  her  mother 
again,  who  looked  at  her  with  the  same  listless,  me- 
chanical stare  as  before.  Under  that  dreadful  look 
Vashti  felt  like  a  traitress.  A  struggle  began  in  her 
breast.  Was  it  right  to  conceal  this  discovery  from 
her  mother.'*  Was  she  not  entitled  to  a  share  of  the 
crust.''  Yes,  if  she  would  be  content  with  a  share,  but 
supposing  in  her  fierce  hunger  she  should  seize  upon 
the  whole.'*  There  was  Vashti's  fear.  Affection  bade 
her  choose  between  her  mother  and  Arad,  and  the  latter 
prevailed.  It  went  to  her  heart  to  leave  her  mother 
dying  there,  but  it  would  go  to  her  heart  still  more 
to  see  little  Arad  robbed  of  his  last  morsel  by  the 
mother  who  bore  him. 

As  Vashti  entered  the  chamber  the  little  fellow  turned 
his  eyes  eagerly  upon  her. 

She  stole  to  his  pallet. 

"  See !  here  is  a  large  cake  of  bread ;  but  it  is  hard, 
and  must  be  softened  before  you  can  eat  it."  And 
then,  dreading  lest  her  mother's  ears  should  be  caught 
by  these  doings,  she  added  in  a  whisper,  "  Hush !  do 
not  talk,  darling.     Lie  still,  and  you  shall  have  it  soon." 

Having  rendered  the  bread  eatable  by  moistening  it 
with  water,  tormented  the  while  by  a  fearful  longing 
to  devour  it  herself,  she  handed  the  whole  to  Arad. 

There  were  many  fathers  among  the  besieging  Ro- 
mans outside,  men  of  humane  disposition,  despite  their 
warlike  calling.  Could  they  have  witnessed  the  joy 
with  which  the  little  fellow  swallowed  the  not  very 
palatable  morsels,  they  would  surely  have  loaded  their 
balistae,  not  with  stones,  but  with  loaves,  and  have 
rained  them  upon  the  roof  of  Miriam's  dwelling. 

"  Eat  slowly,"  said  Vashti,  "  or  'twill  do  you  hurt." 


The  Dying  City  271 

She  had  scarcely  said  this  when  a  scream  broke  from 
her.  Between  her  and  Arad  there  had  suddenly 
dropped  a  skinny  hand,  a  hand  that  clutched  greedily 
at  the  bread,  a  hand  belonging  to  the  figure  whom 
Vashti  had  thought  to  be  still  crouching  upon  the  floor 
of  the  next  apartment. 

Arad,  instinctively  divining  that  he  was  about  to 
be  robbed  of  his  meal,  crammed  one  end  of  the  crust 
into  his  mouth. 

"  Give  it  to  me,"  shrieked  Miriam,  tugging  at  the 
other  end  with  such  force  as  to  drag  the  child  from 
off^  his  pallet. 

Arad  hung  with  his  teeth  upon  the  crust ;  it  sud- 
denly parted,  and  Miriam,  securing  her  own  piece, 
swallowed  it  with  a  wolfish  gusto  dreadful  to  witness, 
while  Vashti  looked  on  in  fear  and  trembling. 

"  Oh,  mother  !  mother !  "  she  gasped.  "  How  could 
you  do  it  .'^  " 

Arad,  frightened  almost  to  death  by  his  mother's 
deed  and  look,  clung  to  his  sister,  who  strove  to  soothe 
his  grief. 

"  It  is  as  I  have  suspected,"  said  Miriam.  "  You  are 
hiding  food  from  me  to  satisfy  yourself  and  Arad, 
while  I,  your  mother,  may  starve." 

"  Not  so,  mother." 

"Will  you  deny  what  mine  eyes  have  seen.''  Show 
me  the  way  to  your  secret  store." 

"  I  have  no  secret  store." 

"  Whence,  then,  did  you  obtain  this  bread.''  " 

Vashti  explained,  but  all  to  no  purpose.  Miriam 
persisted  in  declaring  that  Vashti  had  secreted  pro- 
visions somewhere  in  the  house,  and  announced  her  in- 
tention of  watching  henceforth  all  her  daughter's  move- 
ments. 

Vashti,  weak  before,  was  now  almost  ready  to  col- 
lapse under  the  shock  of  this  rude  encounter,  but  for 
Arad's  sake  she  bravely  bore  up. 

Her   indignation    against    her   mother   passed    away 


272  The  Boomed  City 

after  a  time,  giving  place  to  pity ;  in  taking  Arad's 
food  Miriam  had  been  doing  only  what  she  herself  had 
been  terribly  tempted  to  do.  Though  tormented  within 
by  a  gnawing  pain  that  grew  greater  with  each  hour, 
Vashti,  hiding  it  all  under  a  cheerful  mien,  sought 
to  make  Arad  forget  his  sorrows ;  she  brought  out  his 
toys  (for  children  had  toys  in  those  days  as  in  these) 
and  played  with  him;  she  procured  parchment,  ink 
and  pens,  and  drew  letters  and  objects  and  little  pic- 
tures for  his  diversion ;  she  told  him  simple  stories  and 
sang  some  of  the  psalms  known  to  him  that  he  might 
chime  in  with  his  little  voice.  Those  psalms  recalled 
the  happy  twilight  hours  spent  with  Crispus,  and  she 
sang  with  a  quaver  in  her  voice  and  tears  welling  from 
her  eyes,  till  at  last  she  broke  down  entirely  and  sobbed 
aloud.  Seeing  his  sister  cry,  Arad  naturally  cried, 
too ;  and,  the  pangs  of  hunger  asserting  themselves, 
he  began  his  piteous  wail  for  something  to  eat. 

"  Give  us  of  your  store,"  said  Miriam. 

"  Mother,  I  have  no  store." 

"  Then,  find  us  food,"  returned  Miriam,  raising  her 
voice  to  a  shriek.  "  You  see  me  and  the  child  starving, 
and  yet  you  sit  idly  by  doing  nothing  to  prevent  it. 
Are  we  to  die?  I  am  too  weak  to  stir  abroad,  but  you 
have  strength  left.  There  must  be  food  somewhere  in 
the  city.  Go  and  find  it.  Take  money,  your  jewels, 
your  golden  zone.  Buy — beg — steal,  if  need  be,  but 
bring  us  food." 

In  Vashti's  opinion  Miriam's  words  were  mere  rav- 
ing. Of  what  use  was  it  to  wander  through  the  city 
offering  to  buy  food  from  a  starving  populace.''  He 
who  had  bread,  would  he  not  keep  it? 

Suddenly  she  bethought  herself  of  one  with  whom 
she  had  always  been  a  favorite,  the  benevolent  Johanan 
ben  Zacchai,  whose  two  daughters  had  been  her  life- 
long friends. 

She  would  go  to  their  home  in  Ophel,  and,  if  they 
should  be  the  happy  possessors  of  food,  beg  a  little 


The  Dying  City  273 

of  it  for  the  sake  of  Arad.  Kissing  him  passionately 
she  laid  him  down,  and  went  forth  on  this  dubious 
errand. 

The  setting  sun  was  tingeing  with  a  golden  glow  the 
higher  parts  of  the  city  as  Vashti  unbarred  the  gate 
of  her  dwelling,  a  gate  that  had  not  opened  for  many 
weeks. 

The  first  thing  that  impressed  her  was  the  strange 
stillness  that  prevailed  around,  "  a  deep  silence  and  a 
kind  of  deadly  night,"  to  use  the  language  of  the  con- 
temporary historian.  The  street  was  empty ;  every 
house,  like  her  own,  was  shut  and  barred. 

Significant  fact !  What  silent  tragedies,  what  scenes 
of  anguish,  were  taking  place  behind  those  closed  doors 
and  latticed  windows? 

As  she  stepped  out  into  the  street  her  eye  was  caught 
by  a  startling  object.  Hanging  by  a  rope  from  a 
hook  fixed  into  an  adjacent  wall  was  a  shriveled  and 
mummified  corpse,  that  of  a  man,  who,  doubtless  unable 
longer  to  endure  the  agonies  of  slow  starvation,  had 
chosen  to  hasten  his  end  by  suicide.  The  thought  that 
before  her  journey's  end  she  was  likely  to  see  other 
sights  like  this,  or  even  more  ghastly,  almost  drove 
her  within  the  house  again,  but  her  mother's  wrath 
and  Arad's  hunger  spurred  her  on,  and  she  walked  away 
as  quickly  as  her  weakness  would  let  her. 

A  few  paces,  and  she  saw  lying  within  the  entrance 
of  a  narrow  archway  the  body  of  a  woman  but  recently 
dead,  a  woman  with  a  frame  emaciated  by  famine,  the 
skin  tightly  drawn  over  her  bones,  the  veins  on  her 
shriveled  neck  showing  like  sinews.  Pillowed  upon  her 
arm  lay  an  infant  whose  hand  convulsively  grasped  his 
mother's  withered  breast,  twisting  it  with  his  fingers, 
and  uttering  feeble  little  cries  of  anger  at  finding  him- 
self deprived  of  sustenance.  Pity  for  the  mother,  a 
greater  pity  for  the  babe,  put  Vashti  in  a  state  of 
hesitation.     To  leave  the  infant  dying  there  was  an 


274  The  Boomed  City 

unnatural  act ;  on  the  other  hand,  where  was  the  good 
in  taking  it  to  her  own  home?  Neither  she  nor  her 
mother  had  the  means  of  preserving  its  Hfe.  It  might 
as  well  die  under  the  open  sky  as  under  a  roof;  and  so, 
steeling  her  heart,  Vashti  went  slowly  on.  But  she 
got  no  further  than  the  end  of  the  street ;  beginning 
to  feel  like  a  murderess,  she  turned  back,  only  to  find 
the  infant  breathing  its  last. 

Leaving  mother  and  babe  Vashti  went  on  her  way, 
seeing  with  a  pitying  heart  other  sights  equally  grim. 
The  Apocalypse,  but  recently  written,  had  not  yet  come 
to  her  knowledge,  or  she  might  have  recalled  the  pas- 
sage, "  Their  dead  bodies  shall  lie  in  the  streets  of  the 
great  city.^' 

She  entered  a  silent  square,  seemingly  empty,  but  a 
second  glance  around  showed  her  on  its  southern  side 
a  group  of  human  figures — perhaps  twenty  in  all — 
men,  women,  and  children,  clustered  in  various  atti- 
tudes upon  the  steps  of  the  Royal  Synagogue.  They 
took  no  notice  of  her  approach,  though  her  footsteps 
sounded  unnaturally  loud  in  the  strange  stillness. 

Vashti  stopped  short,  absolutely  appalled  at  their 
aspect.  Though  terribly  wasted  herself,  Vashti  was 
plump  compared  with  these  figures.  With  limbs  attenu- 
ated to  those  of  a  skeleton ;  with  eyes  deep  sunken 
in  their  orbit;  with  cheek-bones  projecting  hideously; 
with  complexions  darkened  by  famine,  they  looked  like 
weird  beings  from  another  world.  More  dreadful  than 
all  was  the  look  of  unspeakable  anguish  stamped  upon 
their  features ;  it  was  the  look  of  men  who  would  ncA-^er 
smile  more  in  this  world.  They  had  come  to  this  spot 
because  from  it  their  beloved  temple  could  be  seen; 
and  they  would  fain  die  with  their  glazing  eyes  fixed 
to  the  last  upon  the  lofty  golden  pinnacles  of  the  white 
marble  shrine  that  stood  out  in  all  its  loveliness  against 
the  calm  blue  sky  of  evening. 

Dead  and  dying  they  lay,  stretched  athwart  the 
steps.     "  Those  who  were  just  going  to  die  looked  upon 


The  Dying  City  275 

those  that  were  gone  to  their  rest  before  them  with 
dry  eyes  and  open  mouths."  " 

Suddenly  a  sound  became  audible ;  distant  at  first, 
it  grew  painfully  loud,  and  at  last,  with  a  rattle  and 
a  clang,  a  dozen  armed  Zealots,  belonging  to  John's 
party,  came  marching  into  the  square,  their  well-pre- 
served physique  affording  a  striking  contrast  to  the 
ghastly  group  on  the  synagogue  steps.  Famine  had 
not  yet  laid  its  finger  upon  them. 

Seemingl}'  in  the  best  of  spirits  they  talked  and 
laughed  in  rude  fashion,  indifferent  to  the  suffering 
that  met  them  at  every  point.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
they  had  come  out  purposely  to  add  to  the  city's  suf- 
ferings. Four  of  their  number  carried  a  small  batter- 
ing-ram, intended  to  force  open  the  doors  of  such  obsti- 
nate citizens  as  were  bent  on  keeping  their  own  pro- 
visions. 

Vashti  noticed  that  these  Zealots  were  taking  the 
way  that  led  past  the  synagogue.  Not  wishing  to 
attract  their  attention,  she  crept  to  the  side  of  the 
building,  and  hid  herself  behind  a  buttress,  contriving 
the  while,  however,  to  keep  watch  upon  the  approaching 
group. 

As  they  drew  nearer  she  saw  to  her  surprise  that 
the  more  youthful  of  them  were  dressed  as  women  in 
all  the  bravery  of  finely  dyed  garments  and  golden 
anklets  that  tinkled  as  they  walked ;  their  long,  flowing 
hair  was  decked  with  the  suffa,  a  gauzy  network,  that, 
attached  to  the  headdress,  hung  down  over  the  shoul- 
ders as  far  as  the  waist ;  red  coloring  glowed  on  their 
cheeks,  while  their  eyes,  to  make  them  appear  larger 
and  more  lustrous,  were  painted  round  with  kohl,  and 
their  eyebrows  arched  and  darkened  with  the  same 
preparation. 

Their  appearance  thrilled  Vashti  with  a  mysterious 
and  nameless  horror ;  she  wondered  what  this  feminine 
garb  should  mean,  not  knowing  in  her  innocence  that 
the   temple   had   become,   under   John    of   Giscala,   the 


276  The  Doomed  City 

seat   of  infamies   that  caused  the  seer   of  Patmos   to 
brand  the  once  holy  city  with  a  fearful  name. 

The  Zealots  in  passing  glanced  at  the  silent  throng, 
whose  dying  anguish  provoked  only  their  savage  mirth. 
"  More  victims  for  the  dead-cart,"  laughed  one. 
"  Aha !  "  he  continued,  stopping  in  his  walk,  and  point- 
ing to  a  ghastly  stiffened  figure  lying  supine  upon  the 
stairs,  "  whom  have  we  here.''  Asenath  the  harlot,  as 
I  live.  One  can  scarce  recognize  in  her  the  one-time 
favorite  of  old  Ananias.  How  she  stares !  Is  she  liv- 
ing or  dead.''  " 

"  Dead  !  "   replied   another  Zealot. 

"  I'll  wager  ten  shekels  she's  living,"  cried  he  who 
had  spoken  first. 

"  And  I'll  wager  the  same  that  she's  dead,"  answered 
the  second. 

"  Good !  you  hear,"  said  the  first,  addressing  the  rest 
as  desiring  them  to  be  witnesses  of  the  wager. 

The  Zealots  had  a  way  of  their  own — and  for  sport 
often  practiced  it — of  ascertaining  whether  a  body  were 
dead. 

Drawing  his  blade  the  first  ruffian  pulled  aside  the 
woman's  robe  and  pierced  her  breast  with  the  point  of 
the  weapon,  an  act  followed  by  a  faint  moan,  and  a 
slight  writhing  of  the  figure. 

"  Thou  hast  lost  thy  bet,  Malchus,"  laughed  the  first 
ruffian.     "  She's  living." 

"  She's  dead  now,  at  any  rate,"  answered  the  second ; 
and,  furious  at  losing  the  wager,  he  drew  his  sword 
and  stabbed  the  woman  to  the  heart. 

At  this  a  dying  man  beside  her  spoke  in  hollow  tones. 

"  In  the  name  of  God  be  merciful,  and  do  the  like 
by  me.  Thrust  me  through  that  my  anguish  may  have 
an  end." 

"  Thou  wishest  to  die.?  Then  thou  shalt  live,"  re- 
plied Malchus ;  and,  sheathing  his  blade,  he  moved  off 
with  the  rest  of  the  Zealots,  who  laughed  as  though 
the  affair  were  a  merry  jest. 


The  Dying  City  277 

When  silence  had  descended  upon  the  square  again 
Vashti  crept  fearfully  forth,  and,  after  hesitating 
whether  or  not  to  return  home,  she  resumed  her  slow 
and  trembling  way  to  Ophel,  and  arrived  without 
further  adventure  at  the  house  of  Johanan  ben  Zacchai. 
It  was  a  humble  dwelling  situated  in  a  street  that, 
like  all  others  in  the  city,  was  as  quiet  as  the  tomb. 

Vashti  found  the  gate,  as  she  expected,  barred. 

Before  knocking  she  listened,  and  detected  coming 
from  within  a  sound  that  caused  her  heart  to  leap  with 
hope,  for  it  was  a  sound  like  that  produced  when  corn 
is  ground  between  two  millstones. 

Even  in  her  dazed  and  frightened  state  of  mind 
Vashti  could  not  but  think  it  imprudent  to  be  grinding 
corn  within  hearing  of  the  street,  a  street  that  might 
be  traversed  at  any  moment  by  ruffianly,  food-seeking 
Zealots. 

The  household  of  Johanan  were  evidently  not  without 
grain ;  surely  they  would  spare  her  just  a  little  from 
their  store? 

She  knocked  at  the  gate,  and  the  sound  of  the  grind- 
ing, if  such  it  were,  instantly  ceased. 

"  They  think  I  am  a  Zealot,"  she  said  with  a  wild 
little  laugh. 

She  knocked  a  second  and  a  third  time,  but  received 
no  reply ;  she  called  out  her  name  so  loudly  that  those 
within  must  have  heard  who  the  visitor  was,  but  they 
made  no  response.     A  dead  silence  prevailed  within. 

Vashti  withdrew  to  the  middle  of  the  street,  and 
turned  her  despairing  eyes  towards  the  lattice  over 
the  gateway.  No  friendly  face  looked  down  at  her;  no 
face  at  all. 

She  turned  sorrowfully  away,  but  came  again  pres- 
ently, and  this  she  continued  to  do  at  intervals,  beating 
piteously  upon  the  gate,  but  all  to  no  purpose. 

Then  did  hope  die  within  her.  If  Johanan  ben 
Zacchai  would  not  listen  to  the  voice  of  a  suppliant, 
there  was  none  other  in  the  city  that  would. 


278  The  Doomed  City 

Nothing  remained  for  her  but  to  return  home ;  but 
how  could  she,  empty-handed,  face  the  despairing  gaze 
of  her  dying  mother,  the  fearful,  famishing  eyes  of 
little  Arad,  who  quite  expected  to  see  his  sister  come 
back  laden  with  food. 

Loth  to  return  home  she  wandered  slowly  and  aim- 
lessly through  the  streets  and  squares  of  the  star-lit 
city. 

In  the  Xystus  that  faced  the  half-burned  palace  of 
Agrippa  she  came  upon  a  group  of  men,  all  bearing 
the  signet-mark  of  famine — the  skeleton  limbs,  the  dark 
complexion,  the  sunken  eyes  of  unnatural  luster  with 
the  scared  look  in  them. 

Leaning  upon  staves  they  were  listening  to  one  of 
those  self-deluded  fanatics,  so  numerous  at  that  time  in 
Jerusalem — fanatics  whose  dream  no  reverses  could  de- 
stroy, the  dream  namely  of  a  coming  universal  empire 
for  the  Jews ;  the  darker  and  the  more  hopeless  the 
situation  seemed,  the  more  fervent  and  enthusiastic 
became  the  faith  of  these  false  prophets,  who  did  not 
relinquish  their  hopes  till  they  saw  the  temple  sink 
into  everlasting  night,  and  the  plow  drawn  over  the 
soil  where  once  the  palace  of  Zion  had  stood, 

Vashti  paused  for  a  moment  to  listen  to  his  wild 
harangue. 

"  Think  you  that  Jehovah  will  let  the  place  in  which 
He  has  chosen  to  put  His  name  fall  into  the  hands  of 
the  uncircumcized  heathen?  Men,  brethren,  there  is 
no  contradiction  in  the  Divine  nature,  and  therefore 
He  who  decreed  that  the  temple  should  be  built  can 
never  decree  that  it  shall  be  destroyed.  Take  heart 
and  rejoice!  The  time  foretold  by  the  prophets  is  at 
hand:  the  heavens  shall  open,  and  the  Messiah  shall 
descend  therefrom — yea !  it  is  but  a  matter  of  a  few 
hours  now — to  avenge  His  people.  His  feet  shall  stand 
upon  Olivet,  and  with  the  breath  of  His  mouth  will 
He  slay  the  host  of  Titus  even  as  He  slew  the  host  of 
Sennacherib." 


The  Dying  City  279 

And  so  speciously  did  he  argue  by  texts  drawn  from 
the  prophetical  scriptures  that  his  famishing  auditors, 
with  scarcely  strength  to  stand,  became  as  hopeful  as 
the  orator  himself ;  they  forgot  their  present  sufferings ; 
their  faces  brightened,  and  they  turned  their  glance 
upward  to  the  comet  gleaming  red  in  the  sky,  half- 
expecting  to  see  it  launch  forth  fiery  death  at  the 
girdling  hostile  line  that,  "  hushed  in  grim  repose," 
was  patiently  waiting  the  slow  but  certain  doom  of 
the  city. 

With  a  sigh  Vashti  passed  on,  and  coming  to  a 
street  corner  beheld  the  emaciated  figure  of  a  man 
kneeling,  in  his  hand  a  drawn  bow  with  an  arrow  fitted 
thereto.  Never  had  she  seen  eyes  so  fiercely  wild,  or 
an  expression  so  painfully  eager  and  expectant.  Fol- 
lowing the  direction  of  his  glance  she  saw  that  he  was 
aiming  at  a  pigeon  which  had  just  alighted  upon  the 
ground  only  a  few  yards  distant.  "  Food,  food!  Life, 
life !  "  was  the  thought  that  frenzied  his  brain. 

But  Vashti  could  see  what  he  could  not,  namely,  that 
much  nearer  to  the  bird,  and  crouching  down  within  a 
gateway  was  the  skeleton  figure  of  a  woman,  whose  man- 
ner showed  that  shewas  waiting  to  snatch  the  prize  from 
the  archer.  And  so  it  proved.  As  the  shaft  flew  true 
to  the  mark  the  woman  tottered  feebly  from  her  hid- 
ing-place ;  her  eyes  sparkled  with  wild  glee ;  she  gave 
a  demoniacal  chuckle  as  she  pounced  upon  the  slain 
pigeon,  and  ghoul-like  tore  greedily  at  the  raw  flesh 
with  her  teeth. 

At  that  sight  there  broke  from  the  man  a  cry  of 
surprise  and  despair,  of  ago\iy  and  rage,  a  cry  horrible 
yet  pitiable  to  hear.  "  Thief !  bitch !  accursed !  "  he 
screamed.  "  Give  me  what  is  mine.  Ah !  she  would 
devour  it  all !  In  the  name  of  God  give  me  a  mouthful, 
a  morsel,  that  I  may  live,  and  not  die." 

As  the  speaker  lurched  forward  in  the  endeavor  to 
get  at  the  thief  his  legs  gave  way  beneath  him,  and 
he  fell  heavily  to  the  ground ;  feebly  struggling  to  his 


280  The  Boomed  City 

feet  he  staggered  on  again  with  intent  to  wreak  venge- 
ance upon  the  spoiler. 

Outraged  nature  did  the  work  for  him. 

The  eater  gorging  herself  to  the  full,  and  being  long 
unused  to  the  taking  of  so  great  an  amount  of  suste- 
nance, became  suddenly  convulsed,  dropped  to  the 
ground  in  horrible  contortions,  and  there  and  then  died, 
her  end  being  greeted  with  mocking  laughter  by  the 
weakling  pursuer,  who,  seemingly  undeterred  by  her 
fate,  knelt  down,  and  plucking  the  remnant  of  the 
bird  from  the  dead  woman's  teeth  began  to  gnaw  it 
with  his  own. 

Vashti,  shuddering,  turned  away,  and  retracing  her 
steps  to  Ophel,  sought  once  more  the  house  of  Johanan 
ben  Zacchai.     But  she  stopped  aghast  ere  reaching  it. 

Its  gate  was  wide  open  now,  hanging  wrecked  upon 
its  hinges,  with  the  battering-ram  that  had  done  the 
work  lying  within  the  entrance. 

From  the  house  came  the  cries  as  of  an  old  man  in 
pain. 

"  Give  his  limb  another  twist,"  cried  a  voice  that 
she  recognized  as  that  of  Malchus  the  Zealot.  "  We'll 
soon  make  the  old  graybeard  tell  where  he  has  con- 
cealed his  corn." 

At  the  same  moment  there  broke  forth  from  an  upper 
chamber  the  thrilling  screams  of  Johanan's  two  daugh- 
ters, painly  calling  upon  their  aged  father  to  deliver 
them  from  the  hands  of  the  lewd  and  laughing  Zealots ; 
for  John's  followers  made  it  their  boast  that  if  there 
were  a  virgin  in  any  house  they  entered  there  would 
be  none  there  when  they  left. 

With  the  blood  about  her  heart  congealing  to  ice 
Vashti  fled,  lest  a  like  fate  should  befall  her;  fled,  not 
knowing  whither  she  went,  not  caring ;  fled,  till  she 
suddenly  found  herself  facing  a  great  black  mass  that 
rose  up  into  the  starry  night.  It  was  the  wall  of 
Zion,  the  huge  rampart  of  masonry  that  lay  between 
the  Romans  and  victory,  that  lay,  alas !  betwixt  herself 


The  Dying  City  281 

and  Crlspus.  She  was  near  the  Valley  Gate,  whose  ap- 
proaches as  she  saw  were  guarded  by  a  small  party 
of  Zealots,  while  on  the  battlements  above  them  slow- 
pacing  sentinels  kept  their  watch.  Hastily  Vashti  re- 
treated within  the  shadows  ere  she  should  be  seen. 

By  the  gate  stood  Simon  the  Black.  An  unpleasant 
odor,  so  palpable  that  one  could  almost  taste  it,  hung 
in  the  air ;  and  this  was  doubtless  his  reason  for  holding 
in  his  hand  a  perfume  box  whose  fragrance  he  inhaled 
from  time  to  time. 

At  intervals  there  came  from  beyond  the  city  walls 
weird,  plaintive  cries,  mysterious  voices  as  of  human 
creatures  in  pain ;  the  sounds,  borne  on  the  wings  of 
the  night,  seemed  to  come  like  arrows  to  the  heart 
of  Vashti,  thrilling  her  with  an  unknown  fear.  The 
strange  odor  and  the  eerie  sounds — what  did  they 
mean?  The  apparent  unconcern  of  the  men  about  the 
gate  showed  that  to  them  at  least  these  were  familiar 
things. 

Conversing  apart  with  Simon  was  a  somewhat  sad- 
eyed  man,  by  name  Manneus,  the  scribe  appointed  to 
take  note  of  all  the  dead  carried  forth  through  the 
Valley  Gate ;  for  be  it  known  that  the  bodies  of  the 
dead  as  being  like  to  create  a  plague  if  allowed  to 
remain  in  the  city  were  collected  at  night  by  paid  agents 
of  the  Sanhedrim,  thrown  upon  carts,  and  carried  out 
to  be  promiscuously  flung,  without  funeral  rites  and 
without  burial,  into  the  ravines  that  surrounded  Jeru- 
salem ;  all  which  matters  were  as  yet  unknown  to  Vashti. 

"  How  many,  think  you,  up  to  yester  even  have  been 
borne  forth  from  this  gate?  "  asked  Manneus  of  Simon. 

"  Twenty  thousand,  perhaps,"  replied  the  Zealot, 
hazarding  a  guess. 

"  One  hundred  and  fifteen  thousand,  eight  hundred 
and  eighty," '"  returned  Manneus,  consulting  his  tab- 
lets. 

Even  Simon,  little  prone  to  emotion,  was  staggered 
by  these  figures. 


282  The  Boomed  Ciiy 

"  Fire  of  Gehenna !  "  he  muttered.  "  And  this  is 
but  one  gate !  How  many  from  each  of  the  other 
gates?  Our  Jewish  brethren  from  foreign  lands  whose 
wish  it  is  to  be  buried  at  Jerusalem  seem  to  be  having 
their  wish,"  he  added  grimly.  "  But,  ah !  whom  have 
we  here  ?  " 

This  last  question  was  caused  by  the  action  of 
Vashti,  who,  moved  by  some  uncontrollable  impulse, 
came  tremblingly  forward,  and  addressed  to  him  a  piti- 
ful plaint  for  bread. 

"  Bread.''  "  repeated  the  Zealot.  "  Why  comest  thou 
to  me?" 

"  Because  you  are  as  a  king  in  this  city." 

"  Captain,"  said  one  of  the  Zealots,  recognizing 
Vashti,  "  this  damsel  is  of  the  Nazarenes,  who  were 
forever  preaching  the  doom  of  the  city.  She  is,  more- 
over, the  ward  of  Josephus,  that  traitor,  who  is  high 
in  the  councils  of  the  enemy." 

"  A  Nazarene,  true.  Yet,"  answered  Vashti,  eager 
to  seize  upon  any  argument  that  might  influence  the 
Zealot  chief  in  her  favor,  "  yet  did  I  not  quit  the  city, 
when  the  Nazarenes  left  it,  but  have  remained  behind 
to  share  the  fate  of  my  fellow-citizens.  In  the  name 
of  God,"  she  continued,  addressing  Simon,  "  give  me 
bread.  I  ask  not  for  myself,  but  for  a  dying  child. 
Give  me  but  one  loaf,  and  on  the  resurrection  morning, 
when  all  deeds  will  be  brought  to  light,  this  shall  be 
counted   to   you   for   righteousness." 

"  You  shall  have  a  loaf,"  said  Simon,  moved  strangely 
by  her  words,  "  you  shall  have  a  basket  ...  a  basket 
filled  with  bread."  The  bewildered  Vashti  could 
scarcely  trust  her  hearing.  "  But  ere  you  return  home 
you  must  eat  a  morsel  yourself,  or  you  will  faint  by 
the  way.      Come  with  me." 

Vashti,  loth  to  go  with  him,  yet  not  daring  to  re- 
fuse, accompanied  Simon  to  the  tower  adjacent  to  the 
Valley  Gate.  Entering  the  first  room  that  he  came  to, 
the  Zealot  chief  peremptorily  ordered  out  of  it  three 


The  Dying  City  283 

or  four  of  his  followers  who  were  sitting  there  occu- 
pied with  dice  and  wine. 

"  Here,"  said  he,  addressing  Vashti,  when  the  men 
had  withdrawn,  "  here  are  six  dried  grapes,  a  fig,  and 
a  morsel  of  bread.  No  more  at  present.  Put  a  curb 
upon  your  appetite,  if  you  would  live." 

To  Vashti's  mind  there  was  something  selfish  in  eat- 
ing while  thousands  of  her  fellow-citizens  were  dying 
of  want — doubly  selfish,  when  she  reflected  that  this 
food  had  perhaps  been  wrung  by  violence  from  the 
famishing  people.  Natural  appetite,  however,  prevailed 
over  sentiment ;  and  with  a  strange  feeling  towards 
Simon,  a  feeling  compounded  of  gratitude  and  repul- 
sion, Vashti  began  the  slow  eating  of  what  was  to  her 
a  repast  more  delicious  than  that  in  the  banquet-hall 
of  Florus,  though  her  enjoyment  was  somewhat  marred 
by  the  unpleasant  odor  that  seemed  to  cling  around 
everything  in  this  vicinity.  That  she  did  not  know  its 
cause  seemed  to  surprise  Simon.  Perceiving  that  her 
ignorance  was  real  and  not  feigned,  he  rose,  and  said, 
"  Come  with  me,  if  you  would  learn." 

Vashti  began  to  regret  her  curiosity,  being  all- 
anxious  now  to  return  home  with  the  promised  loaves. 
Not  wishing,  however,  to  offend  the  Zealot  she  followed 
him  up  a  stone  staircase,  and  through  a  doorway  that 
opened  upon  the  ramparts. 

Simon,  first  handing  her  his  perfume  box,  bade  her 
look  down  over  the  battlements. 

And  Vashti  looked. 

It  was  a  moonless  night,  but  the  sky  was  jeweled 
with  stars  whose  faint  light  was  just  sufficient  to  give 
her  a  glimmering  of  Avhat  lay  below.  It  was  the 
light  required  for  such  a  scene :  the  full  blaze  of  the 
noonday  sun  would  have  made  it  a  horror  too  great  to 
be  endured  by  human  nerves. 

"  They  shall  look  upon  the  carcasses  of  the  m^n 
that  have  transgressed  against  me!  " 

Vashti,  peering  down,  could  dimly  see  that  the  deep 


284  The  Doomed  City 

and  shadowy  ravine  of  Hinnom — that  ravine  already 
regarded  In  Hebrew  theology  as  the  type  of  hell — 
was  filled  with  the  remains  of  the  dead,  who  were  to 
be  counted  not  by  hundreds,  but  by  tens  of  thousands. 
The  bodies  lay,  piled  promiscuously,  some  clothed, 
some  naked,  In  every  possible  stage  of  decay,  from  that 
of  the  newly  dead  to  that  of  the  whitened  skeleton  glim- 
mering ghastly  through  the  gloom. 

The  air  that  hung  above  and  around  the  ravine  was 
tainted  with  an  effluvium  so  gross  as  to  be  all  but 
palpable  to  the  touch,  and  so  loathsome  that  but  for 
the  perfume  box  Vashtl  would  have  sunk  to  the  ground 
overpowered. 

More  dreadful  still,  from  every  part  of  the  gloom 
came  significant  and  horrid  rustlings,  intermingled  with 
sounds  like  to  the  tearing  of  flesh  by  some  sharp  Instru- 
ment. 

"Mark!"  said  Simon. 

He  flung  over  a  stone;  at  Its  sudden  and  startling 
descent  a  black  cloud  of  ravens  and  vultures,  gorged 
with  human  flesh,  rose  on  the  wing,  high  above  the 
battlements,  their  slow-sailing  shadows  darkening  the 
face  of  the  sky. 

Vashtl,  as  they  passed,  drew  back  with  a  shudder, 
and  as  she  did  so,  her  eyes  fell  upon  a  sight  still  more 
startling  and  awful.  Now  she  knew  the  origin  of  the 
weird  and  midnight  cries ! 

There,  beyond  the  ravine,  under  the  cold  light  of  the 
pitiless  stars,  were  rows  upon  rows  of  crosses ;  and  to 
every  cross  was  nailed  a  naked  human  form ! 

The  number  of  these  crosses  was  past  all  counting; 
they  circled  the  whole  city,  extending  as  far  back  as 
the  Roman  wall,  whose  castellated  outline  was  dimly 
visible  from  the  battlements.  How  many  of  the  cruci- 
fied victims  were  dead ;  how  many  were  bearing  their 
sufferings  In  heroic  silence ;  how  many  had  reached  the 
sullen  stupor  that  Is  the  Immediate  precursor  of  death, 
it  was  Impossible  to  tell.     Vashtl  might  have  thought 


The  Dying  City  285 

all  dead,  but  that  every  now  and  then  sonic  poor  wretch, 
now  in  this  quarter  and  now  in  that,  lifting  his  hitherto 
bowed  head  would  shiver  convulsively,  and  would  break 
the  stillness  of  the  night  by  a  long-drawn  mournful 
cry  of  pain,  a  cry  that  might  have  caused  the  coldest, 
sternest  nature  to  weep,  but  seemed  to  have  no  effect 
upon  Simon. 

"  In  God's  name,  who  are  these?  "  gasped  Vashti. 

"  Jewish  deserters.  It  is  thus  that  Titus  receives 
those  that  come  to  him  from  the  city,  nor  do  I  pity 
them.  Let  them  die ;  they  deserve  their  doom.  Mark," 
he  continued,  "  mark  the  ill-fortune  that  has  attended 
all  who  have  deserted  the  holy  cause !  In  the  early 
days  of  the  siege  Titus  was  wont  to  receive  such  rene- 
gades with  favor,  a  favor,  however,  that  proved  the 
doom  of  many,  who,  eating  too  freely  of  the  food  given 
to  them,  burst,  and  so  died."  He  paused,  with  a  vin- 
dictive smile,  and  then  resumed.  "  They  were  succeeded 
by  other  deserters,  who,  ere  leaving  the  city,  swallowed 
gold  pieces  and  precious  stones,  thinking  to  recover 
them  after  they  had  passed  the  Roman  lines.  Fatal 
avarice !  The  secret  became  known  to  the  Syrian  and 
Arabian  allies  deputed  to  take  charge  of  these  desert- 
ers ;  they  slew  them  and  cut  open  their  bodies  to  get 
at  the  treasures.  In  this  way  were  two  thousand  of 
them  killed  in  one  night."  Again  he  smiled  vindictively. 
"  At  last  Titus,  growing  stern,  as  he  saw  the  little 
progress  made  by  his  arms,  sent  to  our  walls  a  herald 
to  proclaim  that  he  would  receive  no  more  deserters ; 
let  the  whole  body  of  the  people  come  forth,  or  none. 
Regardless  of  this  decree,  fresh  parties  made  their  way 
to  the  Roman  camp,  to  be  sent  back  to  the  city,  a 
shrieking  train  of  victims,  with  their  hands  lopped  off." 
Again  that  vindictive  smile.  "  And  now,"  added  Simon, 
pointing  to  the  ghastly  scene  before  them,  "  now  he 
hath  taken  to  this  way  of  dealing  with  them.  They 
are  crucified  to  the  number  of  froe  hundred  a  day!  " 

The  vengeance  of  history! 


286  The  Doomed  City 

These  were  the  men,  and  the  sons  of  the  men,  who 
forty  years  earher  had  cried  "  Crucify  Him !  crucify 
Him !  "  And  now  they  themselves  were  ci*ucified — some 
on  the  very  site  of  Golgotha  itself! — in  such  numbers 
that,  in  the  language  of  Josephus,  "  room  was  wanting 
for  the  crosses,  and  crosses  wanting  for  the  bodies." 
And  the  victims,  if  they  but  chose  to  look,  could  see 
overhead  in  the  sky  the  red  gleam  of  the  heavenly 
sword.  Stay !  was  it  the  figure  of  a  sword,  or  was  it 
not  rather  the  likeness  of  a  cross,  intended  to  remind 
them  of  the  greatest  and  most  awful  tragedy  in  the 
world's  history? 

Vashti's  head  swam  with  horror ;  a  mist  obscured  her 
vision ;  air  and  landscape  seemed  slowly  turning  to  one 
universal  blood-red  hue.  Her  wild  wail  went  forth  upon 
the  night  air: 

"  O  God,  have  mercy  upon  this  hapless  city !  " 

It  was  past  the  sixth  hour  of  the  night  when  Vashti, 
with  her  basket  of  bread  upon  her  arm,  reached  home. 

Closing  and  barring  the  gate  behind  her,  she  went 
along  the  short  passage,  and  crossed  the  little  court. 

Entering  a  chamber  upon  the  ground  floor  she 
paused  for  a  moment  and  stood  in  the  attitude  of 
listening.  She  had  so  expected  to  hear  Arad's  plaintive 
cry  for  food  that  it  was  almost  a  disappointment  to 
find  the  house  as  silent  as  the  tomb.     Evidently  Arad 

was    sleeping,    unless    indeed !      Her    heart    almost 

stood  still  at  the  dread  thought  that  suddenly  smote 
her.  But  no !  she  was  alarming  herself  without  cause. 
A  two  days'  fast,  though  it  might  very  much  weaken 
a  child,  would  not  kill  him.     Arad  must  be  sleeping. 

She  smiled  lovingly  as  she  pictured  his  delight  when 
he  should  awake  and  see  what  his  sister  had  brought 
him. 

If  mother  and  son  were  sleeping  it  could  not  be  other- 
wise that  the  house  should  be  without  sound ;  yet  in  the 
prevailing  stillness  that  hung  about  the  place  like  a 
tangible  veil  there  was  something  so  strange  and  op- 


The  Dying  City  287 

pressive  as  to  fill  Vashti  with  vague  fears.  Her  tread 
on  entering  had  sounded  so  hollow  that  she  had  paused, 
almost  fearing  to  take  a  second  step.  For  the  first 
time  in  her  life  she  feared  the  darkness. 

Plucking  up  her  courage,  she  moved  through  the 
gloom  towards  the  stairway  that  stood  in  one  corner 
of  the  room.  When  she  was  half-way  across  the  floor 
her  foot  touched  some  object;  moved  by  curiosity  she 
stooped,  and  picking  the  thing  up  found  it  to  be — 
a  long  knife! 

Now  when  Vashti  had  last  gone  through  this  room 
there  was  no  knife  lying  upon  the  floor;  her  sandal 
had  become  loose  upon  this  very  spot ;  she  had  knelt 
to  tie  the  string,  and  the  knife,  had  it  been  lying  there 
at  that  time,  could  scarcely  have  failed  to  come  within 
the  ken  of  her  vision.  Evidently  someone  must  have 
entered  this  room  during  her  absence ;  doubtless  Miriam. 

There  was  nothing  strange  in  the  fact  that  her 
mother,  if  so  minded,  should  leave  the  upper  story  and 
descend  to  the  court,  yet  Vashti  could  not  help  won- 
dering why  Miriam  should  have  removed  the  knife  from 
its  customary  place  upon  the  shelf,  since  it  was  the 
one  used  only  in  the  culinary  operations,  this  room 
being  the  kitchen  of  the  little  household.  But  that 
existing  circumstances  forbade  the  hypothesis,  the  knife 
might  have  been  taken  as  evidence  almost  of  the  prepa- 
ration of  a  meal. 

As  if  expecting  the  darkness  to  furnish  some  clew 
Vashti  looked  vacantly  around,  and  there  upon  the 
floor  distant  but  a  few  feet,  and  scintillating  through 
the  gloom,  was  a  something  that  had  the  semblance  of 
an  eye,   an   eye  intently   watching   all  her  movements. 

It  stared  at  her  a  while,  blinked,  glittered  again, 
then  the  eyelid  seemed  to  close,  and  there  was  darkness 
where  the  thing  had  been, 

Vashti  gave  a  little  insane  laugh  of  relief,  perceiv- 
ing that  what  had  frightened  her  was  no  eye  at  all, 
but  a  faint  point  of  light  upon  the  hearth,  the  last 


288  The  Boomed  City 

spark  of  some  dying  embers.  It  was  clear  that  during 
her  absence  a  fire  had  been  Icindled  in  this  room,  and 
by  whom,  if  not  by  her  mother?  and  this  fact  when 
taken  with  the  knife  would  seem  to  point  to  the  prepara- 
tion of  food.  If  so,  by  what  means  had  Miriam  become 
so  fortunate.''  After  what  Vashti  had  seen  that  night 
it  was  scarcely  credible  that.  Zealots  excepted,  there 
could  be  anyone  in  this  famishing  city  so  well  pro- 
vided as  to  be  capable  of  giving  relief  to  others.  Such 
being  the  case,  then,  what  was  the  meaning  to  be  put 
upon  the  fire  and  the  knife.'' 

Instead  of  hastening  at  once  to  her  mother's  room 
Vashti  lingered  in  this  chamber,  impressed  somehow  by 
the  belief  that  here  was  to  be  found  the  key  to  the 
mystery.  Though  entirely  ignorant  as  to  its  nature, 
she  nevertheless  felt  certain  that  she  was  on  the  verge 
of  some  startling  discovery,  and  she  trembled  all  over. 

Slowly  she  drew  near  the  hearth ;  over  it  the  air  still 
hung  warm.  Her  feet  pressed  upon  some  light  yielding 
material  like  cloth.  Cloth  it  was,  a  little  woollen  gar- 
ment belonging  to  Arad ;  nay  more,  certain  fringes 
upon  it  told  her  that  it  was  the  little  caftan  he  had 
been  wearing  when  she  last  parted  from  him.  What 
strange  whim  had  induced  her  mother  to  deprive  the 
child  of  his  one  and  only  garment.''  Had  it  been  ex- 
changed for  another?  If  so,  it  was  not  easy  to  see 
the  reason,  or  why  the  old  one  should  have  been  brought 
down,  and  left  lying  by  the  hearth. 

Wondering  whether  there  were  anything  else  here 
belonging  to  Arad  she  put  forth  her  hands,  and  grasped 
a  little  girdle  and  two  sandals. 

A  moment  she  stood  in  bewilderment:  then,  as  the 
ghastly  truth  came  rushing  upon  her  mind,  there  broke 
from  her  a  cry  so  awful  as  to  seem  scarcely  human ;  the 
fear  of  the  thing  caused  her  hair  to  bristle,  and  the 
cold  drops  to  start  from  every  pore. 

All  the  appalling  tragedies  she  had  seen  that  night 
— what  were  they  compared  with  this? 


The  Dying  City  289 

She  turned  and  ran  up  the  staircase,  her  frenzy 
of  grief  giving  her  a  strength  so  great  that  armed 
men  could  scarcely  have  had  the  power  to  stay  her. 

With  a  quick  tread  she  entered  the  upper  chamber. 
It  was  dark,  yet  not  quite  dark:  the  light  of  the  stars 
seen  through  the  open  lattice  sufficed  to  make  the  nearer 
objects  faintly  visible.  Miriam  lay  in  the  middle  of 
the  apartment  asleep  upon  her  pallet.  It  was  not  to 
her  that  Vashti  first  turned.  Though  knowing  well 
that  she  would  not  find  him  there,  she  nevertheless  ran 
at  once  to  Arad's  pallet. 

It  was  empty ! 

She  flew  to  her  mother's  side,  knelt,  and  peered  shud- 
deringly  into  the  somnolent  face,  a  face  that  wore  at 
this  moment  the  dull  heavy  air  as  of  one  whose  animal 
wants  are  satisfied.  Her  mother  actually  sleeping,  as 
if  this  were  merely  some  ordinary  night !  sleeping,  after 
such  a  deed  as  hers !  Sleeping — she  who  ought  never  to 
sleep  again ! 

There  was  little  of  the  daughter  left  in  Vashti  as 
she  fiercely  shook  the  slumbering  woman  by  the  shoul- 
der. 

And  the  soul  of  the  unhappy  Miriam  starting  from 
blissful  dreams  to  the  dread  reality  of  earthly  things 
awoke  to  hear  sounding  through  the  gloom  of  night  a 
voice  that,  like  the  voice  of  the  accusing  archangel, 
addressed  her  with  the  awful  question: 

"  WHAT  HAVE  YOU  DONE  WITH  ARAD.?  " 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THE    RESCUE    OF    VASHTI 

Tiberius  Alexander,  the  apostate  Jew,  and  Crispus, 
with  four  legionaries  attending  on  them,  stood  at  the 
foot  of  the  city  wall  at  the  point  where  masonry,  car- 
ried aloft  to  an  amazing  height,  supported  the  Colon- 
nade of  Solomon. 

The  night,  bright  and  starry  in  its  earlier  part,  had 
now  become  clouded  and  dark,  an  event  that  seemed  to 
give  satisfaction  to  Alexander. 

"  The  darker  the  night,  the  more  likely  am  I  to 
discover  something,"  he  observed,  from  which  remark 
it  was  clear  to  Crispus  that  Alexander  had  some  special 
reason  for  bringing  him  to  this  spot,  a  spot  that  was 
a  sore  trial  to  the  olfactory  sense,  owing  to  the  effluvium 
arising  from  the  dead  bodies  in  the  ravine  of  Cedron. 

Into  that  ravine  Alexander  wa§  now  gazing.  He 
could  quote  the  Hebrew  prophets  on  occasion ;  usually, 
however,   to   ridicule   them. 

" '  Son  of  man,'  "  said  he  mockingly  to  Crispus, 
"  '  can  these  dry  bones  live.'* '  " 

"  My  answer  is  that  of  the  scribes  whose  teaching 
you  have  deserted,"  retorted  Crispus.  "  That  which 
was  not,  came  into  being;  how  much  more,  then,  that 
which  has  been  already  ?  " 

Tiberius  Alexander  might  perhaps  have  replied  to 
this  celebrated,  rabbinical  argument  but  that  his  atten- 
tion was  attracted  at  that  moment  by  the  sudden  ap- 
pearance of  a  light  at  a  window  in  one  of  the  castella 
or  forts  on  the  Roman  line  of  contravallation. 

Three  times  did  the  light  flash,  and  then  it  vanished. 

290 


The  Rescue  of  Fashti  291 

"  You  saw  it  ?  "  said  he  to  Crispus.  "  So,  too,  have 
I  seen  it,  on  other  nights  than  this.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  it  is  a  signal  to  the  Jews  in  the  city.  We 
have  a  traitor  in  our  camp.  By  remaining  here  Ave 
shall,  if  I  err  not,  discover  who  he  is.  Keep  we  in 
the  shadow  of  this  crag." 

"  Is  not  yon  castellum  the  one  in  which  King 
Agrippa  is  quartered.''  "  whispered  Crispus. 

"  Thou  hast   said,"   replied  Alexander. 

For  a  long  time  the  little  party  remained  silent  and 
expectant.  At  last  a  sound  was  heard  above  their  heads 
like  the  clanking  of  metal  against  masonry,  and  look- 
ing up  they  saw  coming  down  through  the  darkness 
a  very  large  basket  of  strong  wicker-work  attached  to 
the  end  of  an  iron  chain.  It  touched  the  ground  and 
there  remained. 

"  Empty,"  remarked  Alexander,  taking  a  peep  into 
it.  "  It  is  as  I  suspected.  This  is  lowered  by  the  priests 
for  the  reception  of  something  to  be  put  into  it  by  the 
man  who  signaled  with  the  light.  And  here  comes  the 
traitor  himself." 

As  he  spoke  there  came  stealing  along  at  the  foot 
of  the  city  wall  a  man  whose  garb  showed  him  to  be 
a  soldier  belonging  to  King  Agrippa's  troops.  He  was 
leading  a  file  of  lambs  attached  to  one  another  by  a 
cord.  Having  arrived  at  his  destination  the  man  was 
about  to  lift  one  of  the  animals  into  the  basket  when 
he  stopped  short  in  guilty  confusion  upon  seeing  Alex- 
ander, who  chose  that  very  moment  for  making  his 
presence  known. 

"  Are  you  not  Sadas,  the  f  reedman  of  the  Princess 
Berenice.''  " 

The  soldier  admitted  that  he  was.  Then  did  Crispus 
recognize  in  him  the  man  who  had  denounced  Vashti 
in  the  Royal  S^magogue. 

"  Ah !  that  puts  a  different  complexion  on  this  affair, 
which  is  not  so  grave  as  I  had  thought  it.  These 
lambs,  presumably  from  Bethlehem,  none  others  being 


292  The  Boomed  City 

permissible  on  the  temple-altar,  are  sent  by  the  Princess 
Berenice  in  order  that  the  morning  and  the  evening 
sacrifices  may  not  cease  for  want  of  victims.  Is  it  not 
so,  my  Sadas?  The  supply  above  is  running  short,  I 
ween.  Now  I  have  a  great  regard  for  the  princess, 
but  it  seems  to  me  that  the  fair  lady's  zeal  for  her 
religion  borders  closely  upon  treason  to  us  Romans. 
It  were  foolish  of  us  to  permit  sacrifices  to  Jehovah 
here,  after  Theomantes  hath  so  kindly  invited  him  to 
take  up  his  dwelling  in  the  Capitol.  Therefore,  as  my 
men,  not  to  speak  of  myself,  are  very  fond  of  roast 
lamb,  do  you,  Quintus,  lead  these  animals  to  my  tent, 
and  place  this  fellow  under  ward.  To-morrow  we'll  in- 
quire further  into  the  matter." 

The  soldiers  proceeded  to  do  as  bidden. 

*'  I  would  we  had  a  dozen  swine  to  put  into  this 
basket,"  continued  Alexander,  giving  it  a  contemptuous 
kick. 

At  that  moment  the  priests  on  the  cloister  above  ob- 
serving that  the  lambs  were  being  taken  back  to  the 
Roman  camp  by  a  party  of  soldiers,  saw  that  the  affair 
had  somehow  miscarried  and  began  to  haul  up  the 
basket  again. 

While  Tiberius  Alexander  followed  close  upon  the 
heels  of  the  soldiers,  Crispus  lingered  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  walls,  his  mind  tortured  almost  to  madness  at 
the  thought  of  what  might  be  happening  to  Vashti  in 
this  long  and  cruel  process  of  starving  the  obstinate 
city  into  submission.  For  all  he  knew  to  the  contrary, 
she  might  be  lying  at  that  very  moment  among  the 
festering  horrors  of  the  glen  of  Cedron,  her  body  torn 
by  the  beak  and  claw  of  obscene  birds  of  prey,  to  be 
seen  no  more  by  him  till  the  resurrection  morning,  when 
these  "  dry  bones  "  would  live  again,  to  shame  the  doc- 
trine of  the  mocking  Alexander. 

The  air  grew  darker,  so  dark  that  a  circle  of  a  few 
yards  only  was  the  limit  of  Crispus'  vision;  all  beyond 
was  blackness. 


The  Rescue  of  VasUi  293 

An  ideal  night  for  the  enemy  if  they  were  minded  to 
attack  the  Roman  entrenchments ! 

Scarcely  had  this  thought  occurred  to  Crispus  when 
he  heard,  or  fancied  he  heard,  a  sound  proceeding  from 
a  point  not  many  yards  distant.  He  listened  intently. 
Footsteps,  not  loud,  but  quiet  footsteps ;  not  of  one 
man  but,  so  it  seemed  to  Crispus,  of  three  or  four  men, 
all  walking  in  a  stealthy  sort  of  way,  as  if  wishing  to 
keep  their  movements  a  secret.  They  were  coming 
slowly  through  the  darkness  right  towards  the  place 
where  he  stood.  In  another  moment  they  would  be  upon 
him. 

Romans  on  some  errand  of  espial?  or  a  party  of  Jew- 
ish deserters.'' 

Bracing  his  buckler  upon  his  arm  and  drawing  his 
sword  Crispus  awaited  their  approach. 

As  the  men — they  were  three  in  number — came  into 
view  he  bade  them  halt,  which  thej'  did  with  surprising 
promptitude.  Questioning  on  the  part  of  Crispus 
elicited  the  fact  that  they  were  Jews,  passover  pilgrims 
from  Asia,  detained  by  the  war:  appointed  to  guard  a 
portion  of  the  wall  in  Ophel  they  had,  through  despair 
of  the  city's  salvation,  resolved  to  desert;  and  so, 
tying  a  rope  to  a  battlement,  they  had  let  themselves 
down. 

The  madness  of  these  men !  Though  the  crucifixions 
of  Jewish  fugitives  amounted  to  five  hundred  a  day, 
the  stream  of  defection  from  the  city  never  ceased, 
the  deserters  hoping,  in  spite  of  failure  on  the  part 
of  their  predecessors,  to  steal  secretly  through  the  Ro- 
man lines,  or,  if  need  be,  force  a  way  at  the  sword's 
point. 

"  How  long  is  it  since  ye  fled?  " 

"  Less  than  the  fourth  part  of  an  hour,"  replied  one 
whose  name  was  Asaph. 

"  Is  the  rope  still  hanging  there?  " 

"  Surely.  How  could  we,  when  on  the  ground,  de- 
tach it  from  the  battlement?" 


294  The  Boomed  City 

"  Think  you  that  your  flight  is  known?  " 

"  We  purposely  waited  till  the  night-watch  had  gone 
by,  and  left  the  moment  afterwards ;  therefore  our  flight 
will  not  be  discovered  for  some  time  yet." 

"  Is  it  yours  to  watch  the  same  part  of  the  wall 
every  night?  " 

"  Till  the  next  Sabbath." 

These  questions  of  Crispus  were  inspired  by  a  daring 
idea  that  had  suddenly  darted  into  his  mind. 

A  rope  hanging  from  the  city  wall  at  a  part  deserted 
by  its  watchers ! 

Why  should  he  not  enter  the  city  by  the  same  means 
as  that  by  which  these  men  had  left  it?  His  object 
in  this  enterprise  was  to  find  Vashti,  and  having  found 
her  to  bring  her  out  of  this  city  of  death,  and  to  put 
her  into  some  safe  place  of  concealment,  thereby  de- 
feating the  wicked  scheme  of  Berenice.  But  his  plan, 
as  he  rapidly  conceived  it,  required  the  co-operation 
of  these  three  Jews,  and  there  lay  the  difficulty:  they 
might  refuse  to  join  him,  or,  deceiving  him  by  a  pre- 
tended assent,  turn  traitors  at  the  very  moment  of  his 
seeming  success.  Nevertheless,  desperate  as  the  plan 
was,  he  determined  to  take  the  risks. 

"  Hearken  unto  me,  Asaph,  and  ye  two,"  said  Cris- 
pus, adopting  a  Hebrew  phraseology,  to  make  his  ad- 
dress the  more  impressive.  "  As  the  Lord  liveth,  before 
whom  I  stand,  if  ye  attempt  to  pass  the  Roman  lines 
without  me  ye  are  dead  men.  But  fear  not,  I  will  go 
with  you  and  save  you.  Yet  will  I  not  go  with  you 
to-night,  but  to-morrow  night.  Ye  must  return,  and 
resume  your  post  upon  the  wall,  I  will  go  with  you, 
not  to  betray  the  city,  but  to  seek  therein  a  damsel, 
whose  life  I  would  save.  'Tis  an  easy  matter  for  me 
to  mount  the  wall  by  the  rope  ye  have  left,  but  how 
am  I  to  return,  unless  the  wall  be  held  by  those  friendly 
to  me?  Therefore  ye  must  delay  your  flight  by  twenty- 
four  hours.  To-morrow  night  about  this  time  when 
ye  are  again  playing  the  part  of  sentinels  I  will  come 


The  Rescue  of  Vashti  295 

to  you  bringing  the  damsel,   and   that   hour   shall   be 
the  hour  of  your  departure. 

"  Know  that  I  am  Crispus  the  Tribune,  high  in  the 
favor  of  Titus,  and  therefore  capable  of  fulfilling  my 
word.  Now,  if  ye  will  aid  me  in  this,  my  soul's  desire, 
I  will  conduct  you  to  the  Roman  camp,  and  send  you 
away  in  safety ;  but  if  ye  will  not  do  this  thing,  then 
go  on  your  way  alone  to  meet  whatever  doom  befall 
you.  Now,  delay  not  your  answer,  for  the  success  of 
niy  scheme  depends  upon  your  speedy  return  to  the 
city." 

The  three  men  whispered  together.  They  were  not 
long  in  coming  to  a  decision. 

"  Swear  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  that  you  will  save 
our  soul  alive,"  said  Asaph,  "  and  we  will  aid  thee  in 
this  matter." 

Under  the  black  sky  the  strange  compact  was  made, 
the  three  men  taking  Crispus  to  be  a  Hebrew  proselyte, 
a  belief  in  which  he  did  not  undeceive  them. 

"  Let  us  return  at  once,"  said  Asaph,  "  ere  our  flight 
be  discovered." 

Accompanied  by  his  new-sworn  allies  Crispus  began 
the  steep  ascent  of  Ophel,  climbing  with  all  silence  and 
caution,  and  grateful  to  the  darkness  that  hid  them 
from  the  view  of  the  sentinel  Zealots  above. 

Arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  ramparts  they  crept 
along,  Asaph  leading  the  way,  till  a  point  was  reached 
where  the  semicircular  base  of  a  huge  projecting  tower 
made  an  angle  with  the  wall.  Within  this  angle,  and 
scarcely  discernible  in  the  dark,  hung  a  rope  attached 
to  a  battlement  above. 

"A  good  sign,  this,"  said  Crispus  in  a  whisper. 
"  Had  these  battlements  been  visited  in  your  absence 
this  rope  would  surely  have  been  detected  and  drawn 
up." 

Clambering  up  hand  over  hand  the  three  Jews 
ascended  the  rope,  and  disappearing  over  the  battle- 
ments proceeded  to  haul  up  their  new  ally. 


296  The  Boomed  City 

The  portion  of  wall  allotted  to  their  care  proved  to 
be  about  twenty  yards  in  length,  terminated  at  each 
end  by  two  circular  towers — the  tower  in  Siloam,  and 
"  the  tower  that  lieth  out " — which  effectually  screened 
them  from  the  observation  of  the  sentinels  disposed 
along  the  rest  of  the  wall. 

"  Can  you  not  bring  the  damsel  here  within  the  hour, 
and  so  make  an  end  of  the  matter  this  night?  "  asked 
Asaph  anxiously. 

"  Right  gladly  would  I  do  so,  but  that  I  fear  the 
finding  of  her  will  be  a  work  of  time,  and  within  an 
hour  from  now  day  will  be  dawning.  Can  you  hide 
this,  my  crested  helmet,  or  'twill  betray  me.?  and  if 
you  can  find  me  a  cloak " 

Asaph  entered  one  of  the  towers  and  returned  with 
a  Jewish  cap,  and  with  a  gabardine,  beneath  which 
Crispus  found  effectual  concealment  for  his  military 
garb. 

"  At  what  hour  of  the  night  do  you  begin  your 
vigil.?" 

"  Ours  is  the  third  watch  and  lasts  from  the  sixth 
hour  till  the  ninth." 

"  Look  for  me  a  little  after  the  sixth  hour.  As 
a  sign  that  all  is  well  fix  a  spear  erect  upon  the  middle 
of  the  rampart.  Unless  I  see  it  standing  out  clear 
against  the  sky  I  will  not  draw  near.  And  now  fare- 
well for  a  time.  Keep  to  your  oath,  and  it  shall  go 
well  with  you." 

As  Crispus  descended  the  stone  stairway  that  led 
to  the  ground  he  congratulated  himself  upon  the  ease 
with  which  he  had  contrived  to  enter  the  city.  Would 
he  be  able,  however,  to  quit  it  with  similar  ease?  That 
depended  chiefly  upon  the  fidelity  of  his  new  associates, 
and  since  they  could  hardly  betray  him  without  betray- 
ing themselves  he  felt  somewhat  assured.  Turning  from 
the  wall  of  Ophel  he  set  off  for  the  street  of  Millo  on 
Mount  Zion. 

When  lying  convalescent  upon  the  roof  of  Miriam's 


The  Rescue  of  VasJiti  297 

dwelling  Crispus  had  had  ample  leisure  to  study  the 
topography  both  of  Ophel  and  Zion;  this  knowledge 
stood  him  now  in  good  stead,  and  though,  owing  to  the 
darkness,  he  once  or  twice  missed  his  way,  he  finally 
found  himself  in  the  gray  light  of  dawn  before  the  gate 
of  the  house  he  sought. 

He  was  about  to  knock  at  the  gate  when  it  suddenly 
opened,  and  there  appeared  in  the  entrance  the  figure 
of  a  young  woman  terribly  emaciated  by  famine.  She 
was  habited  as  if  for  a  journey. 

"Is  Vashti,  daughter  of  Hyrcanus,  within .''"  asked 
Crispus. 

The  figure  gave  a  smile.  Such  a  smile !  One  more 
fearful  and  weird  he  had  never  seen. 

"  Don't  you  know  me,  Crispus  ?  " 

He  started,  looked  at  her  again,  and  could  scarcely 
recognize  her,  so  fearfully  had  she  changed  from  the 
beautiful  maiden  of  other  days, 

"  Vashti,  my  poor  girl,  can  this  be  you?  " 

To  see  her  looking  thus  caused  the  tears  to  come 
welling  to  his  eyes.  His  weeping  caused  her  likewise 
to  weep.  Then  ever  mindful  of  others,  rather  than  of 
herself,  she  suddenly  said,  amid  her  tears : 

"  Crispus,  what  do  you  here  in  this  city  of  your 
enemies.''     Oh,  if  you  should  be  discovered!" 

"What  do  I  here?"  he  repeated.  "This  is  the 
answer  to  that  question,"  he  continued,  tenderly  lifting 
her  hand  that  she  might  see  how  thin  it  was.  "  You 
are  slowly  dying  of  starvation,  and  yet  you  ask  what 
do  I  here.  I  have  come  to  snatch  you  from  death  by 
carrying  you  away  to  the  Roman  camp." 

Vashti  looked  at  him  with  a  fearful  joy  in  her  eyes. 

"  Oh!  if  you  could!  if  you  could!  I  was  just  going 
to  Simon  of  Gerasa  to  implore  him  to  let  me  leave  the 
city " 

"  You  shall  not  ask  Simon's  leave.  That  I  have 
entered  the  city  safely,  you  can  see  for  yourself.  By 
what  means  I  have  entered  by  that  same  means  shall 


298  The  Doomed  Citij 

you  leave."  He  smiled  cheerfully  as  he  closed  and 
bai'l'ed  the  gate.  "  To-morrow  about  this  time,"  he 
added,  "  you  shall  be  feasting  in  the  Roman  camp, 
you,  and  your  mother,  and  little  Arad." 

But  at  the  mention  of  this  last  name  Vashti  wept 
like  one  heartbroken. 

"  Arad,"  she  said,  "  Arad — is — is " 

Crispus  guessed  the  cause  of  her  emotion. 

"What!  is  the  poor  little  fellow  dead.''" 

"  If  you  had  but  come  yesterday ! "  she  sobbed. 
"  Oh !  if  you  had  but  come  yesterday,  my  brother  might 
be  living." 

Seeing  that  she  had  scarcely  strength  to  stand,  Cris- 
pus lifted  her  in  his  arms,  and  carried  her  into  the 
court. 

"  No,  not  that  side !  "  said  she,  shivering,  as  he  was 
about  to  enter  the  house  by  way  of  the  room  where 
her  dreadful  discovery  had  taken  place.  "  Not  that 
side !  " 

So  Crispus  carried  her  to  a  chamber  that  opened 
from  a  different  part  of  the  court,  and  producing  the 
leathern  wallet  carried  by  every  Roman  soldier,  he  drew 
from  it  figs  and  bread  and  made  her  eat  before  he  would 
let  her  say  another  word. 

When  she  had  finished  the  simple  repast  she  told 
him  the  terrible  story  of  a  child  slain  by  a  famishing 
mother  to  satisfy  her  appetite ;  and  Crispus  listened, 
knowing  from  deserters'  tales  that  deeds  equally  dark 
had  been  perpetrated  in  other  households  besides  this. 

"  And  because  I  have  reproached  her — was  I  wrong 
in  so  doing.'' — my  mother  has  cursed  me,  and  has  bidden 
me  leave  her  and  go  to  my  friends,  the  Romans.  I 
call  her  mother,"  she  added,  "  for  I  cannot  easily  rid 
myself  of  the  familiar  word." 

"  Is  she  not  really  your  mother,  then.''  "  asked  Cris- 
pus, receiving  the  news  with  the  same  satisfaction  that 
iVashti  herself  had  felt  at  the  discovery. 

"  She  has  told  me — and  there  was  in  her  manner 


The  Rescue  of  Vasliti  299 

something  that  convinces  me  she  is  speaking  the  truth 
— that  I  am  her  daughter  by  adoption  only." 

"  And  I  beh'eve  it,"  said  Crispus  emphatically,  "  if 
only  for  this  reason,  that  you  are  so  different  from  her 
in  every  way ;  and  you  have  another  proof  of  it  in 
this,  that  your  name  does  not  appear  in  the  public 
genealogical  rolls  as  the  daughter  of  Hyrcanus.  What 
were  Miriam's  words  to  you?  " 

"  When  I  cried,  for  I  could  not  help  crying  it, 
*  Would  to  God  you  were  not  my  mother ! '  she  laughed 
and  said,  '  You  have  your  wish ;  I  am  not  your  mother. 
You  were  brought  to  me  when  you  were  a  babe  of 
about  twelve  months  by  my  husband  Hyrcanus,  who 
found  you  one  winter's  night  crying  among  the  crags 
of  Mount  Hermon,  where  you  had  been  purposely  left 
to  perish,  and  where,  but  for  him,  you  would  have 
perished.  That  is  all  I  know  of  your  origin,  save  this, 
that  since  there  hath  never  been  aught  of  the  Jewess 
in  you,  I  doubt  not  that  you  come  of  Greekish  parents 
— nay,  it  would  not  surprise  me  to  learn  that  your 
mother  was  a  Samaritan,  and  hence  your  perverse 
nature.'  " 

A  few  years  earlier  the  doubt  that  she  was  not  of 
the  chosen  race  would  have  troubled  Vashti,  but  now 
baptized  into  a  faith  in  which  there  is  neither  Greek 
nor  Jew,  neither  barbarian  nor  Scythian,  neither  bond 
nor  free,  she  viewed  the  question  of  her  nationality  as 
a  matter  of  no  moment. 

The  two  for  a  while  talked  of  Miriam's  revelation ; 
and  then,  quitting  this  theme,  Crispus  proceeded  to  tell 
Vashti  of  an  event  that  he  knew  would  interest  her, 
an  event  the  most  momentous  in  his  life — namely,  how, 
during  the  time  of  his  proscription,  the  Christians  of 
Pella  had  given  him  harboring,  and  how  he  had  be- 
come a  catechumen,  receiving  instruction  in  the  faith 
from  the  holy  bishop  Simeon,  and  from  others  who  had 
seen  the  Lord. 

"  And  when,"  concluded  Crispus,  "  I  learned  that  it 


300  The  Boomed  City 

was  Simeon  who  had  baptized  you,  I  would  not  let  any 
other  perform  that  rite  for  me." 

Night  and  day  for  nearly  four  years  had  Vashti 
prayed  for  the  conversion  of  Crispus,  and  now  came 
the  sweet  realization  of  her  prayer !  His  words  seemed 
to  lift  her  from  earth  to  heaven — but  for  a  moment 
only;  like  a  swift,  painful  dart  came  the  memory  of 
little  Arad,  and  she  wept.  How  happy  would  she  now 
be  but  for  that  black  deed ! 

Knowing  the  cause  of  her  sadness,  Crispus  tried  to 
divert  the  course  of  her  thoughts  by  talking  of  the  way 
in  which  he  hoped  to  remove  her  from  the  city ;  he 
made  her  eat  again ;  and  then,  learning  from  her  that 
she  had  been  out  all  the  previous  night,  he  bade  her 
sleep.  So  Vashti,  compliant  with  his  will,  lay  down 
upon  a  divan,  and  though  sweet  oblivion  was  a  long 
time  in  coming,  it  came  at  last. 

Miriam  remained  invisible  throughout  the  day,  a  fact 
for  which  Crispus  felt  extremely  grateful,  since  it  was 
not  at  all  unlikely  that,  if  he  were  seen  by  her,  she 
might,  in  her  hatred  of  Romans,  raise  an  alarm,  and 
bring  the  Zealots  upon  him. 

It  was  much  past  noon  when  Vashti  awoke.  She 
smiled  on  learning  how  long  she  had  slept ;  but  it  was 
a  wan,  sad  smile ;  Arad's  end  was  ever  present  to  her 
memory. 

That  day  was  the  longest  Vashti  had  ever  known, 
but  it  came  to  an  end  in  due  course,  and  shortly  before 
the  sixth  hour  of  the  night  she  got  ready  for  her  de- 
parture. With  tears  in  her  eyes  she  took  a  last,  linger- 
ing look  at  the  silent  starlit  court  of  the  dwelling  that 
had  been  her  home  since  childhood,  knowing  that  she 
would  see  the  place  no  more ;  the  flaming  torch  and 
the  iron  crow  of  the  Roman  were  destined  ere  many 
weeks  had  passed  to  bring  this  and  ten  thousand  other 
houses  crashing  to  the  ground. 

The  two  closed  the  gate  behind  them,  and  made  their 
way  through  the  dark  streets. 


The  Rescue  of  Vashti  301 

As  Vashti  drew  nigh  to  the  great  black  wall  of 
Ophel,  she  looked  up  and  saw  a  sight  that  made  her 
shudder. 

Was  she  never  to  get  away  from  the  sight  of 
death? 

There  upon  the  battlements  and  standing  out  in 
ghastly  relief  against  the  dark  blue  sky  of  night  was 
a  line  of  lofty  posts,  twenty-one  in  number,  to  each  of 
which  was  nailed  a  naked  human  body ! 

Pacing  to  and  fro  upon  the  rampart  was  the  Jewish 
trio,  Asaph  and  his  two  comrades. 

Having  caught  sight  of  the  pre-arranged  sign,  the 
spear  set  erect,  Crispus,  exercising  a  spirit  of  caution, 
bade  Vashti  remain  where  she  was  while  he  went  for- 
ward to  reconnoiter. 

Having  found  all  satisfactory,  Asaph  and  his  com- 
panions receiving  him  with  unfeigned  joy,  he  returned 
and  assisted  Vashti  to  mount  the  stairway  ascending 
to  the  battlements,  where  he  threw  off  his  Jewish  gabar- 
dine, and  resumed  his  crested  helmet. 

"Who  are  these?"  asked  Vashti,  shrinking  at  the 
sight  of  the  dead  bodies. 

"  Matthias,  alas !  the  one-time  high  priest,  his  three 
sons,  and  others  of  the  priesthood.  Accused  by  Simon 
of  corresponding  with  the  Romans  they  were  slain  to- 
day by  Ananus,^^  the  most  savage  of  Simon's  fifty 
captains,  and  their  bodies  hung  here  on  high  for  Titus 
to  see." 

Of  all  the  events  that  had  occurred  since  the  begin- 
ning of  the  siege,  there  was  in  Crispus'  opinion  scarcely 
any  more  mournful  or  more  significant  than  this,  the 
death  of  Matthias,  the  last  of  the  high  priests — 
for  the  irregularly  chosen  Phannias  must  be  excluded 
from  the  catalogue — stabbed  by  the  hand  of  a  brutal 
ruffian,  his  body  denied  sepulture,  and  exposed  naked 
upon  the  ramparts  of  the  holy  city  to  become  the  prey 
of  the  fowls  of  the  air. 

"  No7i  hunc,  sed  Barabbam!  "  had  been  the  cry  of 


302  The  Boomed  City 

the  chief  priests.  And  this  was  how  Barabbas  had  re- 
warded them! 

While  thinking  thus,  Crispus  made  a  sudden  dash 
forward,  and  then  stood  disappointedly  peering  down 
the  flight  of  steps. 

**  What  is  amiss  ?  "  asked  Asaph,  seeing  excitement 
written  on  Crispus'  face. 

"  I  saw  a  black  shape  rise,  and  run  down  these  stairs.'* 

As  Crispus  spoke,  the  deep  silence  of  the  night  was 
suddenly  broken  by  the  startling  scream  of  a  trumpet 
coming  from  beneath  the  very  part  of  the  wall  on  which 
he  stood.     It  was  the  Jewish  call  to  arms. 

There  was  an  immediate  murmur  of  voices,  swelling 
into  a  babel  of  excited  cries,  accompanied  by  a  sudden 
blazing  up  of  torches  in  all  directions.  By  the  ruddy 
light  the  little  party  on  the  ramparts  could  see  hun- 
dreds of  dark  figures  racing  towards  the  wall  of  Ophel, 
all  in  a  tempest  of  Eastern  fury. 

"  We  are  lost !  "  gasped  Vashti,  her  skin,  darkened 
by  famine,  becoming  white  now. 

"  Have  no  fear,"  responded  Crispus  cheerily ;  and, 
addressing  the  three  Jews,  he  said  in  a  rapid,  staccato 
utterance,  "  Make  for  the  rope — lower  the  damsel  first 
— descend  yourselves — when  the  last  man  is  down  blow 
your  trumpet — away  !  " 

With  this,  Crispus  drew  his  blade ;  and,  taking  his 
station  at  the  head  of  the  steps,  glared  down  like  an 
eagle  upon  the  coming  foe. 

In  the  full  belief  that  Crispus'  end  was  at  hand 
Vashti  would  fain  have  stayed  to  die  with  him,  but, 
heeding  not  her  protests,  the  three  Jews  whirled  her 
off  her  feet  and  ran  like  madmen  towards  the  suspended 
rope,  their  sole  means  of  escape.  It  was  woe  to  them 
if  they  were  caught ! 

The  torch-carrying,  saber-brandishing  multitude 
halted  at  the  foot  of  the  steps,  surprised  to  see  but  a 
single  armed  Roman,  surprised  still  more  that  that 
Roman  should  be  preparing  to  offer  resistance. 


The  Rescue  of  Vasliti  303 

The  stair  at  the  head  of  which  Crispus  stood  formed 
the  sole  access  to  the  battlements ;  of  narrow  width 
it  did  not  permit  two  men  to  stand  abreast ;  and,  more- 
over, neither  on  the  one  side  nor  on  the  other  was  it 
provided  with  a  hand-rail.  Strong  therefore  in  his 
position,  Crispus  felt  that  he  could  hold  the  foe  in 
play  for  a  space  of  time  sufficiently  long  to  enable  his 
confederates  to  descend  the  wall ;  after  which  it  would 
be  a  race  between  himself  and  the  enemy  as  to  which 
would  first  reach  the  rope-encircled  battlement. 

"A  Roman!     How  came  he  there.'*"  exclaimed  one. 

"  Asaph  is  playing  the  traitor,"  cried  a  second.  "  He 
is  admitting  the  enemy  into  the  city." 

"  Why,  'tis  Crispus  the  Tribune,"  said  a  third. 

Crispus! 

At  the  sound  of  that  name,  a  man — the  foremost 
of  the  crowd — who  had  just  put  his  foot  upon  the  low- 
est step,  immediately  withdrew  it  in  favor  of  anyone 
else  that  chose  to  mount. 

Crispus,  during  the  siege,  had  added  to  his  former 
fame  gained  by  his  defense  of  the  Pra?torium  of  Florus ; 
so  quick  of  limb  and  eye,  so  deadly  dexterous  in  fence 
was  he  known  to  be,  that  it  was  the  confident  belief 
of  almost  every  Zealot  present  that  the  first  of  their 
number  to  reach  the  topmost  stair  would  be  a  dead 
man  the  moment  afterwards.  Their  state  of  liesitancy 
was  highly  favorable  to  the  escaping  fugitives.  A 
quick,  backward  glance  on  the  part  of  Crispus  showed 
him  that  the  three  Jews,  having  lowered  Vashti,  were 
themselves  preparing  to  descend. 

"  Way  there !  "  cried  a  powerful  voice  from  among 
the  crowd.  The  throng  parted,  and  a  tall,  red-bearded 
figure,  armed  with  sword  and  shield,  mounted  the  lowest 
stair  and  began  a  wary  ascent.  His  example  inspired 
others   to   follow. 

Crispus  looked  calmly  down  upon  the  first  of  the 
ascending  file. 

"Who  art  thou?"  he  asked. 


304  The  Doomed  City 

"  Ananus,  Simon's  chief  captain,"  was  the  proud 
answer. 

"  Ah !  And  are  all  Simon's  captains  as  ugly  as 
thou?" 

With  a  snarl  of  rage — for  he  knew  himself  to  be  ill- 
favored,  and  nothing  touched  his  vanity  more  than  to 
be  reminded  of  the  fact — the  slayer  of  the  last  high 
priest  leaped  fiercely  up  the  stairs  towards  Crispus, 
who,  at  that  moment,  caught  the  welcome  peal  of 
Asaph's  trumpet. 

Then,  to  the  amazement  of  the  gazing  crowd,  Cris- 
pus, stepping  backwards,  actually  sheathed  his  sword. 

They  saw  the  reason  a  moment  afterwards. 

At  his  feet  lay  a  huge  post,  similar  to  those  upon 
which  Simon's  crucified  victims  hung.  Crispus  lifted 
this  long  beam  in  his  arms,  carefully  adjusting  its 
balance ;  and,  as  soon  as  Ananus  appeared  at  the  top 
of  the  stairs,  he  sent  the  head  of  this  improvised  batter- 
ing-ram full  tilt  into  the  Zealot's  stomach  with  so  tre- 
mendous an  impact  that  not  only  did  Ananus  fly  back- 
wards, gasping  and  helpless,  but  in  his  fall  he  also 
carried  with  him  the  rest  of  the  file  that  were  coming 
up  behind.  The  indignant  howls  of  the  bruised  crew 
were  as  music  to  the  ears  of  Crispus.  Dropping  the 
log,  he  instantly  turned  and  fled,  an  act  that  naturally 
made  the  crowd  below  dash  at  once  up  the  stairway  in 
pursuit. 

But  never  did  Grecian  runner  skim  over  the  Olympic 
stadium  more  fleetly  than  did  the  Roman  Crispus  along 
that  wall  of  Ophel.  Ere  the  foremost  of  the  Zealots 
had  come  tumbling  over  the  top  stair,  he  had  reached 
the  place  where  the  rope  hung,  and,  pausing  for  a 
moment  to  fling  a  gesture  of  defiance  at  his  pursuers, 
he  swung  himself  over  the  battlement,  and  made  a  rapid 
hand-over-hand  descent  to  the  foot  of  the  ramparts, 
where  stood  the  three  Jews  and  the  trembling  Vashti. 

"Are  you  hurt.''"  she  asked. 

"  No,  but  I  warrant  Ananus  is,"  laughed  Crispus. 


The  Rescue  of  Fashti  305 

"  For  some  days  to  come  he'll  have  no  stomach  for 
the  fight.  And  now,  away !  See,  they  are  opening  a 
gate  on  our  left." 

Lifting  Vashti — how  thin  and  light  she  was ! — he 
sped  down  the  slope  of  Ophcl  with  her,  and  succeeded 
in  safely  reaching  the  Roman  lines. 

Determined  to  forestall  any  attempt  on  the  part  of 
Titus  to  detain  her  he  dispatched  Vashti  that  same  hour 
of  the  night,  under  the  care  of  two  Christian  soldiers, 
to  the  saints  that  dwelt  at  Pella. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


CLOSING  IN 


The  long  blockade  had  failed  to  bring  about  the 
surrender  of  the  city ;  and  Titus  was  beginning  to 
grow  weary  of  the  delay ;  in  fancy  he  could  hear  the 
patricians  of  Rome  laughing  at  the  plebeian-born  gen- 
eral, and  declaring  that  a  city  taken  by  famine  was 
not  a  very  brilliant  way  of  inaugurating  the  new 
dynasty  of  Flavian  emperors. 

So  it  came  to  pass  that  on  the  day  following  Vashti's 
departure  for  Pella,  the  mighty  Roman  host  at  a  word 
from  Titus  roused  itself  to  toil  again  like  a  giant 
refreshed  by  a  long  sleep. 

As  the  fortress  Antonia  was  the  key  to  the  temple, 
Titus  began  by  raising  opposite  this  fortress  four  huge 
aggeres. 

The  construction  of  the  former  banks  had  cleared 
all  the  timber  from  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Jerusa- 
lem, so  that  the  Romans  were  compelled  to  go  farther 
afield,  and  at  the  end  of  twenty-one  days — the  time 
taken  in  raising  these  new  aggeres — there  was  not  a 
tree  left  within  ten  miles  of  the  city ! 

Meanwhile,  long  teams  of  oxen,  bellowing  under  the 
lash,  were  toiling  up  the  rugged  pass  of  Beth-horon, 
drawing  endless  files  of  wagons  roped  to  each  other, 
upon  which  were  mounted  the  new  military  machines, 
huge  and  terrible,  constructed  by  the  Greek  engineers 
of  Ca^sarea. 

On  the  twenty-second  day,  the  artillery  (this  word 
is  long  anterior  to  the  use  of  firearms)  was  placed  in 
position,  and  the  legions,  massing  all  their  strength, 

306 


Closing  In  307 

directed  a  fierce  attack  upon  the  northeiii  wall  of  An- 
tonia,  the  stronghold  of  John  of  Giscala. 

Now  this  wall  happened  to  stand  upon  that  part 
which  had  been  undermined  by  John  at  the  time  when 
the  Romans  made  their  former  attack;  and  the  hollow 
ground,  weakened  by  the  shaking  caused  by  the  batter- 
ing-rams, gave  way  during  the  first  night,  hurling 
down  a  portion  of  the  wall  with  all  the  sentinels  upon  it. 

The  Romans,  startled  from  their  sleep  by  the  ap- 
paHing  crash  and  by  the  thrilling  shrieks  of  the  doomed 
victims,  knew  not  at  first  what  had  happened,  but  when 
the  morning  light  revealed  the  nature  of  the  disaster, 
they  grasped  their  weapons,  clambered  over  the  ruins, 
and  poured  through  the  breach. 

But  Antonia  was  not  yet  taken.  John,  exercising  a 
military  foresight  that  moved  his  enemies  to  surprise, 
if  not  to  admiration,  had  previously  raised  a  second 
wall  within. 

As  it  was  impossible  to  advance  the  engines  through 
the  breach,  the  Romans,  in  order  to  overcome  this  new 
barrier,  were  compelled  to   resort  to  other  means. 

Having  failed  to  surmount  it  by  boldly  climbing  up 
in  the  very  face  of  the  enemy,  they  lay  down  at  last 
at  the  foot  of  the  wall,  and,  forming  a  testudo,  or 
roof  of  shields,  the}'^  sought  to  loosen  with  iron  crows 
the  lower  courses  of  the  masonry,  a  process  attended 
with  little  hurt  to  the  wall,  but  with  considerable  loss 
of  life  to  the  Romans. 

Now  Crispus,  having  taken  due  note  that  a  certain 
part  of  this  wall  declined  backwards,  and  that  the 
stones  at  this  said  part  projected  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  afford  some  slight  foothold,  resolved  to  attempt 
a  nocturnal  surprise  on  his  own  account.  At  the  dead 
of  night  he  assembled  fifteen  of  his  bravest  troops, 
including  a  trumpeter  and  an  eagle-bearer. 

Creeping  forward  with  soundless  tread,  the  little 
band,  favored  by  the  gloom,  gained  the  foot  of  the 
wall  unseen  by  the  Jewish  sentinels  above.     Then  Cris- 


308  The  Boomed  City 

pus  silently  and  cautiously  began  thfe  ascent ;  his  men 
followed  like  a  file  of  grim  specters.  One  javelin  hurled 
from  above  would  have  sufficed  to  send  the  whole  party 
thundering  down.  No  such  disaster  occurred,  however. 
Whether  the  sentinels  were  sleeping,  or  whether  they 
were  keeping  careless  watch,  is  a  matter  that  will  never 
be  known:  certain  it  is  that  the  heroic  sixteen  safely 
gained  the  top  of  the  walL 

A  whispered  word  from  Crispus,  and  then  on  the 
still  night  air  the  trumpet  rang  out  the  call  to  arms ; 
long,  shrill,  and  piercing,  the  summons  startled  the 
Romans  from  sleep ;  it  startled  still  more  the  Jewish 
sentinels  close  at  hand.  Even  now  it  would  have  been 
a  comparatively  easy  matter  to  repel  the  attack ;  but, 
as  Crispus  and  his  party,  their  lifted  blades  glinting 
through  the  gloom,  dashed  forward  with  a  mighty 
shout,  the  Zealot  sentinels,  without  waiting  to  ascer- 
tain the  number  of  their  assailants,  turned  tail  and 
fled,  fully  convinced  that  the  whole  of  the  Roman  army 
was  pouring  over  the  battlements. 

Their  shouts  awoke  their  fellows.  Roused  thus  in 
the  dead  of  night  the  entire  garrison  became  the  vic- 
tims of  one  of  those  panics  which  have  been  known  to 
fall  sometimes  upon  even  the  hardiest  veterans.  From 
above,  from  below,  from  every  hall  and  chamber,  there 
came  running  wild-eyed  Zealots,  whose  only  object  was 
to  save  their  lives ;  in  mad  confusion  they  made  for 
the  south  side  of  the  fortress,  where  lay  the  only  avail- 
able exit — a  narrow  causeway  over  the  deep  ravine 
that  separated  Antonia  from  the  temple. 

Meantime,  Titus  and  the  rest  of  the  Romans  in  the 
camp,  guided  by  the  continuous  pealing  of  the  trum- 
pet, hurried  forward,  scaled  the  wall,  and  found  to  their 
surprise  and  delight  that  the  enemy  had  vacated  the 
fortress  without  striking  a  blow. 

Now  the  surrender  of  Antonia  had  opened  the  way 
to  the  temple,  and  Crispus,  thinking  in  one  night  and 
by  the  same  stroke,  to  capture  both  places  was  pur- 


Closing  In  309 

suing  the  retreating  Zealots  across  the  connecting 
causeway. 

But  now  the  Zealots,  cursing  themselves  for  their 
cowardly  folly,  turned  and  made  a  stand  upon  this  same 
causeway. 

Then  began  a  battle,  perhaps  the  fiercest  and  bloodi- 
est in  the  whole  course  of  the  siege.  Spears  and  jave- 
lins being  useless,  both  sides  drew  their  swords  and 
fought  it  out  hand  to  hand.  In  the  gloom  of  night 
the  troops  of  both  parties  were  so  intermingled  that 
no  man  knew  where  he  was ;  more  often  than  not  Roman 
slew  Roman,  and  Jew  slew  Jew.  Crispus,  stunned  by 
a  blow  on  the  head,  was  dragged  forth  from  the  fray 
by  a  faithful  legionary. 

With  the  dawn  Simon  came  to  the  aid  of  his  Zealot 
rival;  and  then  indeed  the  fighting,  and  the  shouting, 
and  the  clangor,  grew  fiercer  and  louder  than  ever. 
On  that  narrow  viaduct  there  was  no  room  either  to 
advance  or  retreat ;  scores  of  the  combatants  were 
forced  over  the  parapet,  and  shrieking,  fell,  to  be 
dashed  to  pieces  in  the  rocky  ravine  below.  The  pas- 
sage became  so  crowded  with  dead  that  the  living  to 
get  at  each  other  were  obliged  to  mount  upon  piles 
of  bodies  and  of  armor. 

At  last,  when  it  became  clear  that  the  Romans  could 
make  no  headway,  Titus,  after  ten  hours  of  this  fight- 
ing, gave  the  signal  for  recall. 

Thanks  to  Crispus,  however,  the  great  fortress  of 
Antonia  was  now  in  Roman  hands,  and  as  Simon  be- 
held the  standard  inscribed  S.P.Q.R.  floating  proudly 
again  from  its  lofty  battlements,  he  wept  tears  of 
grief  and  rage,  and  cursed  John  to  his  face  saying — • 
somewhat  unjustly — that  none  but  a  fool  or  a  coward 
or  a  traitor  could  have  lost  such  a  stronghold. 

Later  that  same  day  Rufus  and  Crispus  stood  on 
the  battlements  of  Antonia ;  and  of  all  the  Romans,  who 
more  pleased  than  Rufus  at  finding  himself  once  more 
in  his  old  familiar  fortress? 


310  The  Doomed  City 

The  two,  looking  down  from  their  lofty  position, 
watched  the  preparations  that  were  being  made  for 
the  defense  of  the  temple.  The  marble  courts  and 
gilded  pinnacles  were  assuming  the  appearance  of  a 
warlike  citadel.  Thousands  of  Zealots,  under  the  di- 
rection of  Simon  and  John,  were  hauling  their  huge 
military  engines  over  the  tesselated  pavement,  till  the 
northern  porticoes  facing  Antonia  fairly  bristled  with 
ballstae  and  catapults.  The  clang  of  arms  and  the 
creaking  of  the  machines,  the  shouting  of  men  and 
the  ceaseless  hurrying  hither  and  thither,  made  a  scene 
difficult  to  reconcile  with  the  belief  that  the  place  was 
the  house  of  God. 

"What  is  the  day  of  the  month.?"  asked  Rufus, 
suddenly. 

"  The  seventeenth  of  July,"  replied  Crispus. 

"  I  venture  to  prophesy  that  in  the  years  to  come 
the  Jews — if  there  be  any  of  them  left  after  this  war 
— will  keep  this  day  as  a  day  of  mourning." 

"Why  so.?" 

"  The  answer  Is  to  be  found  there!  "  remarked  Rufus, 
pointing  to  the  court  of  the  priests.  "  It  is  the  hour 
of  the  evening  sacrifice,"  he  continued,  glancing  at  a 
sun-dial  near  by,  "  but  where  is  the  smoke  ascending 
from  the  altar.?  'Twas  absent,  too,  this  morning,  so 
I  am  told.  The  daily  sacrifice  hath  ceased  for  lack  of 
victims.  If  I  rightly  foresee  the  fate  of  the  temple, 
they  made  their  last  sacrifice  yester  even." 

To  the  mind  of  the  pagan  Rufus  the  matter  was  one 
of  little  moment,  but  to  Crispus,  with  his  Christian 
way  of  thinking,  this  cessation  of  a  sacrifice  that  had 
taken  place  twice  a  day  for  a  space  of  thirteen  hundred 
years  was  full  of  a  profound  significance;  he  knew 
that  to  the  pious  Hebrew,  If  not  to  the  fighting  Zealot, 
it  must  appear  an  event  as  grave  almost  as  a  stoppage 
in  the  progress  of  the  universe,  for  had  not  the  scribes 
said,  "  The  world  was  made  for  the  sake  of  the  temple," 
and  what  was  the  temple  without  its  sacrifices? 


Closing  In  311 

Titus,  made  aware  of  the  event,  sought  to  conciliate 
the  religious  sentiment  of  the  foe  by  a  very  remarkable 
offer. 

Josephus,  covered  by  the  shield  of  a  legionary, 
walked  along  the  causeway ;  and,  halting  in  the  middle, 
lifted  up  his  voice,  and  addressed  the  Jewish  people  in 
the  Hebrew  tongue. 

"  Simon  Bar-gioras  and  John  of  Giscala,  hear  now 
the  words  of  Titus  Caesar.  He  hath  a  reverence  for 
your  temple,  and  would  fain  save  it  from  the  destruc- 
tion which  ye,  by  converting  it  into  a  citadel,  are 
bringing  upon  it.  If  ye  will  remove  your  men  of  war, 
he  will  meet  you  in  battle  at  Mount  Zion  or  in  what- 
ever place  you  choose ;  he,  too,  will  withdraw  his  arms 
from  the  temple,  leaving  it  sacred  and  inviolate.  And 
as  a  token  of  his  good  will  towards  you,  he  offers  you 
this  day  a  gift  of  threescore  rams  that  ye  may  continue 
the  daily  sacrifice  as  heretofore." 

"Ha!  mark  you  that.?"  said  Rufus  to  Crispus. 
"  There  speaks  not  Titus  but  Berenice." 

There  were  among  the  Jewish  people  thousands  that 
would  gladly  have  seen  the  war  removed  from  the  temple 
and  its  precincts,  but  they  were  overawed  by  the  Zeal- 
ots, who,  by  the  mouth  of  Simon,  thus  made  answer: 

"  Titus,  knowing  that  he  cannot  take  the  temple  by 
force  of  arms,  whereof  the  fight  of  this  morning  is  a 
witness,  speaks  thus,  hoping  to  lure  us  from  our  strong- 
hold, that  he  may  the  more  easily  enter  it.  But  in 
vain  is  the  net  spread  in  the  sight  of  the  bird.  His 
threescore  rams  we  will  not  take,  for  never  shall  it 
be  said  that  the  sacrifices  to  the  Eternal  One  have 
become  dependent  upon  the  polluted  offerings  of  an 
uncircumcized  heathen.  And  to  him  and  to  the  whole 
Roman  empire  do  we  offer  an  everlasting  defiance. 
Now,  renegade,  carry  back  in  thy  detestable  Greek  or 
Latin  the  answer  of  Simon  Bar-gioras." 

This  haughty  reply,  and  especially  its  boastful  note 
as  to  the  fight  on  the  causeway,  so  provoked  Titus  that 


312  The  Boomed  City 

he  determined  to  make  a  second  attempt  that  very 
night.  As  the  whole  army  were  unable  to  join  in  the 
assault  owing  to  the  narrowness  of  the  approach,  there 
were  picked  out  from  each  century  the  thirty  bravest 
and  strongest  men ;  tribunes  were  appointed  over  each 
thousand,  and  one  Cerealis,  an  officer  of  rare  valor,  was 
chosen  to  command  the  whole.  In  the  great  hall  of 
Antonia  the  storming  party  consecrated  themselves,  as 
it  were,  to  the  work  by  offering,  under  the  presidency 
of  Theomantes,  a  solemn  sacrifice  to  Mars. 

An  hour  before  dawn  Cerealis  at  the  head  of  his 
men,  advanced  over  the  causeway  with  swift  silent  tread, 
but  failed  to  effect  a  surprise.  Simon,  if  not  John, 
was  on  the  alert.  Then  began  a  battle  similar  in  all 
respects  to  that  of  the  preceding  night.  After  eight 
hours  of  desperate  fighting  the  Romans  had  not  gained 
a  foot  of  ground,  and  the  battle  ceased,  as  it  were,  by 
mutual  consent. 

Now  no  more  could  the  Romans  boast  that,  man  for 
man,  they  were  superior  to  the  Jews,  when  the  picked 
soldiers  of  their  army,  the  very  flower  of  the  legions, 
had  suffered  repulse  at  the  hands  of  the  Zealots. 

The  iron  warriors,  who  had  carried  their  eagles  tri- 
umphantly over  all  nations  from  the  Euphrates  to  the 
Atlantic,  leaned  moodily  upon  their  spears,  and  stared 
up  with  dark  and  sullen  faces  at  the  laughing  Zealots, 
who,  clustering  upon  the  roof  of  the  northern  cloisters, 
pointed  with  their  swords  at  the  causeway  and  mock- 
ingly asked  the  foe  why  they  did  not  come  into  the 
temple. 

"  Give  counsel  what  we  shall  do,"  said  Titus  to  Ti- 
berius Alexander. 

"  Raze  Antonia  to  the  ground,  and  with  the  ma- 
terials fill  up  this  intervening  glen  so  as  to  make  a 
broad  level  way,  over  which  we  may  haul  our  engines 
to  batter  the  northern  cloisters." 

Titus  without  delay  adopted  this  suggestion. 

The  Roman  soldiers,  burning  to  retrieve  their  tar- 


Closing  In  313 

nished  honor,  had  no  sooner  received  the  new  command 
than  they  flew  with  ardor  to  its  execution.  All  along 
the  sky-line,  on  every  tower,  turret  and  battlement, 
were  seen  groups  of  men  furnished  with  lever  and  crow, 
by  whose  means  blocks  of  masonry  were  lifted  up  to 
be  sent  whirling  and  crashing  into  the  valley  below ; 
far  into  the  night  the  soldiers  toiled  by  the  ruddy 
glare  of  a  thousand  torches,  and  as  the  mighty  fortress 
sank  lower  and  lower  so  did  the  debris  accumulated 
in  the  valley  rise  higher  and  higher. 

The  Zealots  no  longer  mocked,  but  looked  on  in 
silent  wonder  at  this  display  of  almost  superhuman 
energy.  There  was  something  sublime  in  this  demoli- 
tion of  a  magnificent  citadel  merely  for  the  purpose 
of  filling  up  a  trench. 

At  last  a  broad  and  level  way  was  successfully  car- 
ried across  the  ravine  right  up  to  the  very  foot  of  the 
northern  cloisters. 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  that  saw  its  completion 
Crispus,  walking  meditatively  upon  the  crest  of  Olivet, 
came  suddenly  upon  a  figure  standing  solitary,  silent, 
motionless.  It  was  the  woman  who  was  steadfastly 
refusing  to  acknowledge  herself  as  his  wife,  the  Princess 
Berenice.  Not  far  off,  in  the  background,  stood  two 
attendants  with  a  chariot.  Evidently  she  had  come 
to  take  a  look,  perhaps  her  last  look,  at  her  native 
city. 

Crispus  had  leisure  to  observe  her,  for  she  was  so 
wrapped  in  contemplation  that  she  did  not  hear  his 
tread. 

Her  face  was  pale,  and  anguish  looked  from  her 
eyes  as  she  surveyed  the  ruin  wrought  by  man  against 
his  fellow-man. 

The  country,  swept  of  all  its  timber  to  supply  ma- 
terials for  the  Roman  banks  and  for  camp  fires,  had 
lost  all  its  sylvan  charm  and  beauty. 

To  this  denudation  must  be  added  the  ravages  of  the 
Arabian   and  Syrian  allies,  who,  haters  of  the  Jews, 


314  The  Boomed  City 

had  diffused  their  devastating  frenzy  so  far  around 
that,  from  the  summit  of  Olivet,  neither  village  nor 
house,  neither  tower  nor  wall,  could  be  seen  to  break 
the  dreary  monotony  of  the  landscape.  So  mournful 
a  change  had  passed  over  the  country  that  in  the  strik- 
ing language  of  Josephus,  "  Anyone  that  had  pre- 
viously known  the  place,  coming  on  a  sudden  to  it 
now,  would  have  failed  to  recognize  it!  " 

It  was  a  scene  of  utter  desolation,  a  howling  wilder- 
ness, made  more  awful  by  the  light  of  the  setting  sun, 
which,  half  sunk  below  the  horizon,  shot  a  sinister  red 
glare  athwart  the  melancholy  waste. 

In  all  the  wide  extent  of  landscape  there  was  no 
vestige  of  life  or  movement,  save  at  one  spot  only, 
where  the  grim  and  ever-narrowing  circle  of  fire  and 
steel  was  slowly  extinguishing  the  life  of  a  once  great 
nation. 

Berenice  set  her  eyes  upon  the  city,  or  rather  upon 
what  was  left  of  it.  Was  this  the  place  that  the 
Psalmist  had  called,  "  The  joy  of  the  whole  earth  ".?* 

Gone  was  the  suburb  of  Bezetha!  Gone  was  the 
suburb  of  Acra !  Gone  was  the  citadel  of  Antonia ! 
Zion  and  Ophel  remained,  but  woefully  wrecked  and 
dilapidated ;  and  the  temple — shorn,  alas !  of  its  divine 
sacrifies — still  rose  as  fair  as  ever,  its  marble  porticoes 
and  golden  pinnacles  dyed  in  the  blood-red  hues  of 
sunset.  But  how  long  would  it  stand  ?  Ah !  there  was 
her  fear,  and  she  pressed  her  hand  to  her  throbbing 
heart. 

Turning  suddenly  she  caught  sight  of  Crispus,  and 
started.  There  was  a  proud  trembling  of  her  lip  as 
if  she  were  trying  to  subdue  some  emotion — anger  prob- 
ably— that  was  rising  to  the  surface. 

"  So  it  was  you,''''  said  she,  taking  no  notice  of  his 
greeting,  "  who  prevented  my  weekly  gift  of  rams 
from  reaching  the  temple?  " 

"  Nay,  it  was  Tiberius  Alexander,  though  I  freely 
admit  that  his  deed  has  my  approval," 


Closing  In  315 

"Why  so?" 

"  The  Law,  princess,  was  but  a  shadow  of  things 
to  come.  There  is  now  no  need  for  typical  sacrifices 
when  the  True  Sacrifice  has  been  offered,  once  and  for 
all.  And  since  the  Jew  refuses  to  acknowledge  the 
temporal  character  of  the  Law,  there  is  but  one  way 
of  teaching  him  the  lesson — a  stern  and  terrible 
way !  " 

It  is  doubtful  whether  Berenice,  not  being  versed  in 
Pauline  theology,  quite  comprehended  the  import  of 
these  words ;  at  any  rate,  she  did  not  reply  to  them. 

"  They  tell  me  you  are  great  at  slaughter,"  she  said, 
with  a  sort  of  sneer,  "  and  that,  as  being  the  first  to 
mount  the  battlements  of  Antonia,  you  have  gained  a 
Mural  Crown.  And  now,  grown  more  bold,  you  seek 
to  take  God  himself  captive." 

"  Princess,  you  talk  as  do  the  heathen.  The  Most 
High  dwelleth  not  in  temples  made  with  hands." 

"  Yet  your  master  Paul  was  wont  to  worship  in  yon 
edifice." 

"  I  doubt  whether  he  would  do  so  to-day,  were  he 
living,  seeing  that  there  is  now  no  holiness  in  yon 
temple.  The  spirit  of  true  religion  has  fled  from  the 
place.  The  high  priest  Phannias  is  a  village  rustic, 
unlawfully  chosen  by  lot,  so  ignorant  that  he  knows 
not  how  to  perform  the  duties  of  his  office.  The  temple 
has  become  a  slaughter-house,  reeking  with  innocent 
blood  shed  by  the  wicked  Zealots,  who  have  held  therein 
mock  trials  of  the  rich,  condemning  them  to  death  that 
they  may  seize  upon  their  wealth.  The  place  is  no 
longer  a  temple  but  a  citadel.  The  holy  vessels  have 
been  melted  down  to  form  instruments  of  war.  Assas- 
sins pile  their  arms  around  the  altar,  and  revelers 
make  themselves  drunk  in  the  Sanctuary.  It  were  a 
shame  to  speak  of  the  things  that  have  been  done  there. 
John's  men,  tricked  out  in  feminine  garb,  have  imitated 
the  infamies  of  the  guilty  Cities  of  the  Plain.  And 
you  would  bid  us  deal  tenderly  with  this  place,  forsooth ! 


316  The  Boomed  City 

Nay,  verily,  its  stones  cry  out  for  the  avenging,  puri- 
fying fire  of  heaven." 

"  Or  the  flaming  torch  of  Crispus,"  sneered  Berenice. 
"  You  think  to  see  the  temple  destroyed,  but  it  shall 
not  be  so.  Titus  has  pledged  me  his  solemn  word  to 
preserve  it." 

"  Titus  may  promise  what  he  will ;  he  cannot  over- 
turn the  counsels  of  the  Most  High." 

"  Whose  instrument  you  deem  yourself  to  be,"  re- 
turned Berenice,  disdainfully.  "  I  know  the  secret 
thought  of  your  heart.  A  vision  sent,  not  as  you  vainly 
think  by  God,  but  by  Beelzebub,  the  prince  of  the  devils, 
is  luring  you  on  to  a  wicked  deed.  You  have  desired 
to  take  part  in  the  siege  for  this  end  only,  that  when 
the  attack  on  the  temple  shall  begin  you  may  be  able 
in  the  confusion  to  apply  an  incendiary  torch.  Do 
so,  and  the  act  shall  bring  death  upon  her  whom  you 
hold  most  dear." 

"  And  who  is  that  ?  "  asked  Crispus  quickly. 

"  Vashti,  who,  instead  of  being  safe  at  Pella,  as 
you  intended  her  to  be,  is  a  captive  at  my  mercy — 
my  slave  to  do  with  as  I  list.  Your  act  in  bringing 
her  forth  from  Jerusalem  has  had  this  result  only — 
to  deliver  her  into  my  hands  the  sooner." 

Though  Crispus  tried  to  receive  this  startling  news 
with  outward  calmness,  something  of  the  fear  felt  by 
him  looked  from  his  eyes,  and  drew  a  triumphant  smile 
from  Berenice. 

Mistress  of  Vashti,  she  was  mistress  of  his  action, 
so  she  thought,  and  his  action  must  be  the  sparing  of 
the  temple. 

"  It  was  by  accident  I  discovered  that  your  Vashti 
was  at  Pella.  Armed  with  the  written  authority 
granted  me  by  Titus  I  immediately  arrested  my  slave, 

and  conveyed  her  to — to " — No!  she  would  keep 

the  name  of  the  place  a  secret — "  to  where  you  will 
not  find  her.  Now,  mark  my  words,  Crispus  Cestius 
Gallus.     If  by  your  hand  yon  temple  burns,  so  too 


Closing  In  317 

shall  Vashti  burn ;  she  shall  die,  shrieking  in  a  flaming 
vesture  of  pitch,  even  as  the  Christians  died  in  the 
gardens  of  Nero." 

"  Princess,  if  yours  be  the  heart  of  a  woman,  I  am 
glad  to  possess  the  heart  of  a  man." 

Berenice  laughed,  a  cold,  hard  laugh. 

"  I  care  not  how  vile  I  be  in  your  sight  so  long 
as  I  can  but  save  the  temple.  Retire  this  night  from 
the  army — Titus  will  permit  it — have  no  more  to  do 
with  the  siege,  and  I  will  set  Vashti  at  liberty.  What 
is  your  answer.''  " 

"  This.  Your  threat  supplies  an  additional  argu- 
ment for  the  destruction  of  the  temple,  since  it  is  clear 
that  its  dead  ritual  and  external  formalities  have  no 
power  to  purify  the  heart  or  quicken  the  conscience. 
As  to  your  menace  against  Vashti,  forget  not  that  it 
is  written,  '  Whoso  sheddeth  man's  blood,  by  man  shall 
his  blood  be  shed.'  " 

Berenice  laughed  scornfully. 

"  Who  will  venture  to  punish  a  princess  and  the 
friend  of  Titus  merely  for  putting  her  own  slave  to 
death.?" 

"The  Christians." 

"  The  Christians !  "   repeated  Berenice,  disdainfully. 

"  I  have  said  it,  princess.  If  Vashti  dies,  you  die 
also.  Trust  not  to  the  power  of  Titus  to  save  you. 
There  are  in  yon  army  Christians  who,  in  the  execution 
of  what  they  deem  to  be  right,  fear  neither  kings  nor 
Caesars.  You  shall  be  secretly  seized  and  carried  off 
to  a  conclave  of  Christians  there  to  be  judged  of  the 
deed  by  your  own  Law,  which  has  said:  'Eye  for  eye, 
tooth  for  tooth,  burning  for  burning ' ;  Berenice's  death 
for  Vashti's  death.  If  you  are  found  guilty,  be  sure 
of  this,  princess,  theifll  not  lack  an  executioner!  " 

As  Berenice  beheld  the  set,  stern  look  on  his  face, 
she  had  no  need  to  ask  who  that  executioner  would  be. 

Without  another  word  he  turned  and  left  her. 

She  had  sought  to  frighten  him,  but  it  was  she  who 


318  The  Boomed  City 

was  the  frightened  one.  She  stood  in  fear  and  tremb- 
ling, knowing  that  her  threat  instead  of  acting  as 
a  deterrent  had  but  made  him  the  more  resolved  to 
carry  out  his  purpose. 

Next  day  the  toiling  legions  pushing  forward  their 
military  engines  directed  a  fierce  attack  along  the  line 
of  cloisters — more  than  a  thousand  feet  in  length 
— that  formed  the  northern  side  of  the  great  temple- 
platform. 

Now  that  the  battle  had  reached  the  very  seat  of 
their  religion  the  Jews  fought  with  a  fury  they  had 
never  before  shown ;  the  priests  themselves  were  under 
arms,  rivaling  the  Zealots  in  deeds  of  valor;  Simon, 
with  bare  arm  and  flashing  scimitar,  was  seen  at  every 
point  along  the  line,  urging  on  to  fresh  exertions  men 
who  required  but  little  urging. 

Let  Jewish  valor  do  what  it  would,  however,  it  could 
not  prevail ;  each  day  marked  an  advance  on  the  part 
of  the  Romans,  who  at  last  became  masters  of  the 
whole  northern  gallery,  which  they  proceeded  at  once 
to  destroy  by  fire,  ax,  and  crow,  in  order  to  facilitate 
the  advance  of  the  battering-train. 

The  victors  had  now  gained  the  summit  of  the  lofty 
temple-platform,  a  vast  square  open  to  the  sky  save 
at  the  sides  which  were  adorned  with  cloisters.  In  the 
midst  of  this  square  towered  the  Sanctuary  or  temple 
proper,  a  structure  360  feet  in  length  and  270  in 
breadth.  Its  exterior  wall,  formed  of  gigantic  blocks 
of  marble,  and  nearly  40  feet  in  height,  was  pierced 
by  nine  gateways,  there  being  three  upon  each  side 
save  the   western,   that   side   being   without    gates. 

It  was  within  this  fortress — for  such  it  was — that 
the  defeated  Jews  had  taken  refuge,  and  here  they  pre- 
pared to  make  their  final,  and,  as  they  believed,  trium- 
phal stand. 

Strange  and  incredible   fact! 

In  spite  of  their  numerous  defeats,  hope  was  stronger 
than  ever  in  the  breast  of  the  Jews,  who  still  dreamed 


Closing  In  319 

of  seeing  the  scepter  of  empire  transferred  from  the 
Capitol  to  Zion.  They  were  fully  convinced  that  the 
temple  which  God  Himself  had  ordered  to  be  built 
could  never  be  trodden  by  the  foot  of  pagan  conqueror. 
The  deity  would  be  certain  to  work  a  miracle  in  their 
favor ;  at  the  least,  something  would  happen  to  astonish 
and  disperse  the  enemy.  And  they  talked  of  Sen- 
nacherib and  the  burning  simoon,  but  forgot  Nebuchad- 
nezzar and  the  Chaldeans. 

And  now  the  sacred  precincts  of  the  temple  echoed 
with  the  clang  of  horse-hoofs.  Roman  cavalry  clat- 
tered on  the  marble  pavement  of  the  Court  of  the  Gen- 
tiles, and  with  leveled  spears  swept  round  and  round 
the  Sanctuary,  driving  in  every  sortie  made  from  the 
gates,  and  acting  as  a  cover  to  the  Roman  infantry, 
who,  with  tremendous  toil  and  difficulty,  were  hauling 
along  a  train  of  battering-rams. 

The  Sanctuary  was  surrounded  by  a  low  balustrade, 
bearing  tablets — one  has  survived  to  the  present  time — 
inscribed  in  Greek  and  Latin  letters  with  notices  pro- 
hibiting the  Gentiles  on  pain  of  death  from  entering  the 
edifice — notices  that  evoked  the  mocking  laughter  of 
the  Roman  soldiery  as  they  set  their  engines  in  array 
against  the  building. 

The  "  middle  wall  of  partition,"  which  the  Law  had 
set  up  betwixt  Jew  and  Gentile,  was  now  breaking  down 
in  no  figurative  sense ! 

The  temple-platform  had  a  circuit  so  ample  as  to 
contain  within  it  a  synagogue,  and  it  was  from  the 
roof  of  this  structure,  as  from  a  throne,  that  Titus 
directed  the  military  operations  against  the  Sanc- 
tuary. 

It  was  not  without  an  expectant  thrill  that  the  Jews 
awaited  Titus'  signal  for  the  assault,  there  being  a 
half  belief  among  them  that  fire  from  heaven  would 
descend  upon  the  impious  band  that  first  ventured  to 
swing  a  beam  against  the  sacred  wall  of  God's  house; 
and  therefore  something  like  a  sigh  of  disappointment 


320  The  Doomed  City 

went  up  when  nothing  marvelous  followed  upon  the  first 
stroke  of  the  ram. 

Relying  upon  the  strength  of  the  masonry  the  Jews 
did  little  fighting,  content  to  watch  amid  laughter  and 
gibes  the  futile  labors  of  the  enemy. 

For  six  days  the  battering-rams  swung,  and  thun- 
dered, and  pounded  against  the  walls  of  the  Sanctuary ; 
yet  not  a  stone  was  pushed  from  its  place,  so  marvel- 
ously  compacted  was  the  masonry. 

"  Bring  scaling-ladders  and  storm  the  walls ! "  cried 
Titus  on  the  seventh  day. 

The  legionaries,  relinquishing  the  battering-rams, 
flew  to  execute  this  new  order. 

The  Jews  made  no  resistance  to  the  Romans  while 
mounting,  but  as  soon  as  each  man  had  reached  the 
top,  they  either  hurled  him  down  headlong  or  slew 
him  before  he  had  time  to  cover  himself  with  his 
shield. 

Now  here,  and  now  there,  a  ladder  crowded  with 
ascending  legionaries,  would  be  toppled  backwards  and 
the  men  dashed  to  pieces  upon  the  marble  pave- 
ment. 

The  fierce  shouts  of  the  active  combatants  inter- 
mingled with  the  cries  and  groans  of  the  wounded  and 
the  dying. 

After  two  hours  of  this  deadly  game  there  came  a 
lull.  Despairing  of  taking  the  place  by  escalade  the 
Romans  withdrew  to  a  distance,  and  stared  up  in 
moody  silence  at  the  Zealots,  who,  brandishing  their 
weapons,  shouted,  "  Ye  cannot  take  this  place ;  it  is  the 
abode  of  God." 

The  superstitious  legionaries  were  beginning  to  think 
the  same.  They  no  longer  laughed  at  the  words,  "  Let 
no  Gentile  enter  here  on  pain  of  death."  The  dead 
and  dying  strewn  around  on  the  pavement  were  a  sig- 
nificant commentary  on  that  interdict. 

Vainly  did  the  trumpets  peal  out  a  call  to  renew 
the  charge.     Not  a  man  would  move. 


Closing  In  321 

Titus  sought  to  stimulate  their  courage  bj  a  new 
expedient.  Pointing  to  that  part  of  the  wall  where 
stood  the  Zealot  chief,  he  shouted: 

"  Ten  thousand  gold  pieces  to  the  man  who  brings 
me  Simon's  head." 

No  one  seemed  willing  to  earn  this  rich  reward. 

Simon  laughed. 

"  Titus  knows  my  value.  Now  to  him  who  brings 
me  the  head  of  Titus  I  shall  give  ten  shekels  only,  it 
not  being  worth  more." 

Suddenly  a  standard-bearer,  darting  forward, 
mounted  a  ladder,  and  when  three-fourths  of  the  way 
up,  he  deliberately  flung  the  eagle  into  the  midst  of 
the  foe,  crying  as  he  waved  his  sword,  "  Romans,  will 
you  see  your  standard  taken  by  the  enemy.''  Follow 
me." 

Lose  an  eagle.''    Never! 

Amid  a  wild,  shrill  clangor  of  trumpets,  the  legion- 
aries, with  the  flame  of  battle  in  their  blood,  swept 
forward,  wave  upon  wave,  determined  this  time  to 
carry  the  fortress.  But,  alas !  for  them,  this  attack 
fared  no  better  than  the  others.  The  bold  standard- 
bearer  was  struck  down ;  those  following  him  were  either 
slain  or  repulsed;  and  the  eagle  remained  in  the  hands 
of  the  foe. 

Simon  viewed  the  idolatrous  image  with  loatliing. 

"  An  abomination  brought  into  the  place  where  it 
ought  not  to  be,"  said  he.      "  Bring  ax  and  hammer." 

And  with  his  own  strong  arm  he  hewed  the  golden 
eagle  to  pieces,  and  cast  them  down  at  the  feet  of 
the  Romans  contemptuouslv,  crying :  "  Behold  your 
god ! " 

If  a  yell  could  have  brought  down  the  walls  of  the 
Sanctuary  they  would  most  assuredly  have  fallen  at 
that  moment  before  the  terrific  yell  of  concentrated 
hatred  and  fury  that  burst  from  the  Romans,  when 
they  beheld  the  destruction  of  what  was  to  them  not 
merely  a  patriotic  emblem  but  a  darling  object  of  wor- 


322  The  Boomed  City 

ship,  a  worship  far  more  real  and  fervent  than  they  ever 
paid  to  Jove  or  Mars ! 

Simon's  studied  affront  goaded  Titus  to  a  course 
from  which  he  had  hitherto  refrained. 

"  Fire  the  gates!  "  he  cried. 

To  this  command  the  legionaries  responded  with  a 
huge  roar  of  delight.  Vast  quantities  of  timber  were 
quickly  brought  and  piled  high  against  the  metal-plated 
doors  of  the  nine  gateways. 

Of  these,  the  most  splendid  was  the  one  facing  the 
east,  and  known  as  the  Corinthian  Gate,  for,  whereas, 
the  other  doors  were  crusted  all  over  with  gold  and 
silver,  the  eastern  door  was  a  marvel  of  richly  chased 
Corinthian  bronze. 

It  was  Alexander,  the  wealthy  Alabarch  of  Alexan- 
dria, who  had  adorned  the  gate  in  this  fashion ;  and, 
by  a  singular  turn  of  destiny,  it  was  his  apostate  son 
Tiberius  who  wrought  its  destruction — a  deed  surpris- 
ing to  the  Romans  themselves,  who  could  not  but  re- 
gard it  as  an  act  of  filial  impiety.  With  buckler  held 
over  his  head  to  protect  himself  from  the  arrows  that 
came  whizzing  obliquely  from  above,  the  ex-procurator 
of  Judasa  ascended  the  stately  flight  of  fifteen  stairs, 
and,  with  his  own  hand,  applied  a  lighted  torch  to  the 
pile  of  timber. 

Nine  huge  fires  were  now  smoking,  and  crackling,  and 
flaming,  and  roaring,  at  the  nine  gates  of  the  temple. 
As  the  metallic  platings  became  red-hot  the  fire,  car- 
ried to  the  woodwork  behind,  began  to  consume  the 
entire  gate. 

The  sight  produced  a  strange  and  stupefying  effect 
upon  the  Jews,  who  had  never  thought  such  an  event 
to  be  possible ;  at  one  stroke  their  courage  seemed  to 
vanish ;  they  made  no  attempt  to  quench  the  flames, 
but  stood  mute  spectators  of  the  scene. 

It  was  Titus  himself,  who,  not  wishing  the  conflagra- 
tion to  extend  too  far,  gave  orders  to  fling  water  upon 
the  burning  gates ;  and  when  this  had  been  done,  the 


Closing  In  323 

besieged  realized  that  their  defense  was  all  but  at  an 
end;  the  charred  timber  of  the  doors  would  yield  at 
the  first  stroke  of  the  battcring-rani,  and  the  enemy 
would  enter  by  nine  difTercnt  ways. 

"  The  day  is  far  spent  and  the  soldiers  are  faint," 
said  Titus.  "  We  will  defer  our  final  attack  till  the 
morrow." 

With  a  view  of  cutting  off  the  retreat  of  Simon 
and  John,  who  might  seek  during  the  night  to  make 
their  escape  to  Mount  Zion,  Titus  caused  a  great  part 
of  his  army  to  camp  round  about  in  the  cloisters  of  the 
Court  of  the  Gentiles. 

Leaving  Crispus  and  Rufus  in  charge  of  these  forces 
Titus  retired  to  Antonia,  or  rather  to  a  corner  of  it 
that  had  been  spared  in  the  general  demolition  in  order 
to  furnish  a  lodging  for  himself  and  his  chief  officers. 

And  here,  that  same  night,  there  sat  that  memorable 
council,  assembled  to  decide  the  great  question  (as  if 
it  were  in  their  power  to  decide!)  whether  the  Jewish 
temple  should  be  preserved  or  destroyed. 

Tiberius  Alexander  was  the  first  to  speak;  more 
pagan  than  the  pagans  themselves  he  brought  forward 
several  reasons,  all  tending  to  show  that  the  existence 
of  the  temple  was  a  menace  to  the  safety  of  the  empire. 
He  ended  with  a  religious  argument: 

"  If  you  spare  this  edifice,  O  Caesar,  the  Jews  w'ill 
boast  that  their  God  has  put  His  fear  in  your  heart 
and  that  you  dare  not  destroy  it.  They  will  see  in 
your  leniency  both  a  proof  of  the  divine  origin  of 
their  temple  and  an  augury  of  its  eternal  existence; 
its  preservation  will  more  than  ever  convince  them  that 
they  are  the  favorites  of  heaven,  and  are  therefore 
under  no  obligation  to  obey  an  earthly  power. 

"  It  must  be  ours  to  show  that  Jupiter  of  the  Capitol 
is  supreme  over  Jehovah  of  Jerusalem. 

"  Two  superstitions,  equally  fatal  to  the  empire,  de- 
pend for  their  existence  upon  yon  temple,  that  of  the 
Jews  and  that  of  the  Christians!''     These  two  super- 


324  The  Boomed  City 

stitions,  although  contrary  to  each  other,  have  the  same 
origin :  the  Christians  come  from  the  Jews ;  destroy 
the  root,  and  the  shoot  will  quickly  perish.  Where- 
fore," concluded  he,  with  reminiscences  of  the  psalms, 
"  my  counsel  is,  '  Down  with  it ;  down  with  it,  even  to 
the  ground ! '  " 

But  Titus,  secretly  moved  by  his  infatuation  for 
Berenice,  was,  of  course,  disposed  to  take  a  milder 
view. 

"  We  ought  not,"  said  he,  "  from  hatred  of  our 
enemies  to  take  revenge  upon  inanimate  things.  To 
burn  so  vast  and  splendid  a  fabric  is  to  do  hurt  to 
ourselves,   seeing  that   it  is   an   ornament  to   our  em- 

„   33 

pire. 

And,  perceiving  on  which  side  of  the  question  the 
mind  of  their  general  lay  a  certain  minority,  who  had 
been  disposed  to  favor  the  views  of  Alexander,  dropped 
their  opposition. 

"  This,  then,  is  our  decree,"  said  Titus  solemnly, 
"  and  let  the  whole  army  know  it — the  temple  shall  be 
preserved." 

He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens  shall  laugh ;  the  Lord 
shall  have  them  in  derision ! 

For  scarcely  had  Titus  made  an  end  of  speaking 
when  from  without  there  came  a  cry,  distant  and  faint ; 
it  was  repeated  in  a  louder  key ;  caught  up  by  a  thou- 
sand tongues,  alike  by  the  startled  Romans  in  the  camp 
and  by  the  terrified  Jews  in  the  city,  the  wild  tidings 
came  rolling  louder,  and  ever  louder,  upon  the  night 
air,  to  the  mockery  and  confusion  of  the  military  coun- 
cil: 

"  THE  TEMPLE  IS  ON  FIRE ! " 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

"  WATCHMAN,  WHAT  OF  THE  NIGHT?  " 

Night,  still  and  beautiful,  rested  upon  the  temple- 
courts ;  in  the  immeasurable  depths  of  a  purple  sky 
the  stars  were  burning  with  the  brilliancy  peculiar  to 
southern  latitudes. 

The  battle-toil  of  the  day  had  given  place  to  a 
strange  quiet;  both  sides  seemed  bent  on  taking  rest 
as  a  preparation  for  the  greater  struggle  of  the  mor- 
row. 

No  sound  came  from  the  Sanctuary;  its  unseen  sen- 
tinels moved  with  silent  tread. 

Within  the  circumjacent  cloisters,  and  hidden  by  the 
shadows,  lay  the  Roman  troops,  sleeping  on  their  arms, 
yet  ready  at  the  first  blast  of  the  tmmpet  to  spring 
into  life  and  action. 

Crispus  and  Rufus  paced  softly  to  and  fro  over  the 
pavement  of  the  Court  of  the  Gentiles,  seldom,  if  ever, 
removing  their  eyes  from  the  Sanctuary,  lest  a  sudden 
rush  on  the  part  of  the  enemy  should  take  their  troops 
by  surprise. 

Crispus  was  thinking  of  the  fate  of  the  Roman  Capi- 
tol which,  nine  months  previously,  in  the  civil  war  be- 
tween the  Vespasians  and  the  Vitellians,  had  been 
destroyed  by  fire. 

Now  the  Capitol  was  the  temple  of  sovereign  Jupi- 
ter, and  hence  its  fall  had  sent  a  profound  sensation 
through  the  pagan  world.  It  would  be  a  fact  more 
significant  still,  if,  within  the  same  year  and  by  similar 
means,  the  great  Jewish  temple  should  fall.  To  minds 
intent  on  studying  the  signs  of  the  times,  the  two  events 

335 


326  The  Doomed  City 

would  seem  as  If  foreshadowing  the  doom  of  two  re- 
ligions, that  of  heathendom,  and  that  of  Jewi*y. 

And  doomed  they  were !  They  had  played  their  pre- 
paratory part  in  the  history  of  human  progress,  and 
were  now  to  give  place  to  a  loftier  and  more  spiritual 
faith. 

"  Titus  holds  high  council  to-night,"  remarked  Ru- 
fus,  suddenly  breaking  in  upon  Crispus'  thoughts. 
"  He  is  for  preserving  the  temple.  Every  man  knows 
why.  He  is  moved  by  love  for  the  new  Cleopatra.  She 
and  her  brother  Agrippa  visited  his  quarters  yester- 
day, and  remained  there  for  some  time.  We  can  guess 
what  their  talk  was  about.  Now  if  this  temple  be  per- 
mitted to  stand,  we  shall  continue  to  have  the  annual 
gatherings  of  treasonable  Jews  breathing  defiance  to 
Roman  rule.  The  result  will  be  another  war,  and  we 
shall  have  all  our  work  over  again.  And  what  a  work 
it  has  been !  Was  there  ever  in  all  history  a  siege  like 
this.?" 

"  And  it  is  by  no  means  over  yet,"  commented  Cris- 
pus. "  All  our  previous  work  will  appear  but  as  child's 
play  when  we  come  to  deal  with  the  taking  of  Zion." 

"  My  fear,  too,"  responded  Rufus  moodily.  "  This 
stubborn  people,  refusing  to  see  that  they  are  beaten, 
will  go  on  fighting  to  the  end.  But  as  to  this  temple, 
my  opinion  is  that  since  the  Jews  choose  to  turn  it  into 
a  fortress  it  should  be  treated  as  such,  and  razed  to 
the  ground.  If  I  were  Titus,"  he  added  emphatically, 
"  I  would  destroy  both  city  and  temple,  exclude  all 
Jews  from  Judaea,  and  colonize  it  with  Romans.  Thus 
only  shall  we  have  peace." 

Crispus  fell  into  a  reverie. 

He  had,  when  a  pagan,  seen  reasons  to  wish  the 
temple  at  an  end,  and  now,  as  a  Christian,  he  could  add 
to  his  reasons. 

It  was  thus  that  he  argued  within  himself. 

The  existence  of  the  temple  was  a  perpetual  affront 
to  the  living  Christ,  since  its  daily  sacrifices  were  a 


''  Watchman,  What  of  the  Night?  "    327 

tacit  denial  of  the  great  fact  that  the  True  Sacrifice 
had  been  offered  once  and  for  all.  With  the  death  of 
Christ  Judaism  had  come  to  an  end,  but  what  Jew 
would  ever  believe  this  until  he  saw  that  the  God  who 
had  ordered  the  temple  to  be  built  now  permitted  it 
to  be  destroyed?  Add  to  this,  that  the  sure  word  of 
prophecy  had  said  that  the  Messiah  would  come  while 
the  Second  Temple  was  standing;  if  this — the  Second 
Temple — should  fall,  it  would  be  a  proof  to  the  Jewish 
nation  that  the  Messiah  had  come — and  gone ! — and 
that  those  were  wrong  who  looked  for  Him  in  the 
future. 

Another  point  worth  noting:  so  long  as  the  temple 
stood — that  temple  in  which  the  apostles  themselves 
were  wont  to  meet  for  worship — so  long  would  there 
be  on  the  part  of  Christianity  a  temptation  to  revert 
to  the  precepts  and  rites  of  the  Law.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  in  spite  of  all  the  writings  and  labors  of  Saint 
Paul  to  the  contrary,  a  hybrid  belief,  a  Christianized 
form  of  Judaism,  the  heresy  called  at  a  later  day 
Ebionism,  was  already  in  existence,  threatening  the 
purity  of  the  Church's  faith.  The  development  of 
Christianity  required  that  it  should  be  freed  from  the 
bondage  of  the  Law,  and  how  could  that  freedom  be 
more  effectively  attained  than  by  the  fall  of  the  edifice, 
which  was,  as  it  were,  the  actual  embodiment  of  that 
Law  ? 

Moreover,  had  not  the  Saviour  said  that  some  of 
His  own  generation  should  not  taste  of  death  till  they 
had  seen  the  fall  of  the  temple?  Forty  years  had 
now  passed  since  that  utterance.  If  its  fall  were  de- 
layed much  longer,  would  not  the  Saviour  appear  as 
a  false  prophet?  But,  unless  a  miracle  were  going 
to  happen,  must  not  the  destruction  of  the  temple  be 
brought  about  by  human  instrumentality?  Why  not 
by  his  own?  Was  it  impious  to  imagine  that  he  was 
the  agent  foreordained  to  carry  out  the  Divine  pur- 
pose ? 


328  The  Boomed  City 

He  thought  of  the  vision  of  the  flaming  torch,  and 
of  the  Divine  voice,  crying,  "  Burn!  "  and  he  doubted 
no  longer. 

Rufus  put  the  finishing  touch  to  his  determination 
by  a  significant  remark. 

"  Now  if  Titus  could  be  persuaded  to  destroy  the 
temple,  to-day  would  be  an  appropriate  date  for 
it." 

"How  so?" 

"  By  the  Jewish  calendar  to-day  is  the  ninth  of  the 
month  Ab.  On  this  very  day  exactly  658  years  ago 
the  Chaldeans  burnt  the  first  temple." 

The  very  date  seemed  to  be  inviting  him  to  the  deed! 

Scarcely  had  this  thought  passed  through  his  mind 
when  Rufus  exclaimed: 

"  Ah !  what  light  is  that .''     By  the  gods,  a  sortie !  " 

His  remark  was  caused  by  the  sight  of  an  immense 
body  of  Jews,  who,  having  opened  one  of  the  half- 
burned  gates,  were  issuing  noiselessly  forth. 

They  were  seen,  however,  not  only  by  Crispus  and 
Rufus,  but  by  the  vigilant  Roman  sentinels.  Instantly, 
the  shrill  trumpet  blast  rang  out  the  call  to  arms,  and 
the  legionaries,  starting  from  sleep,  grasped  their 
weapons  and  stood  ready  for  the  conflict. 

Heedless  of  the  fact  that  they  were  discovered  the 
Jews  poured  down  the  steps  of  the  gateway  and  raced 
across  the  court  towards  the  wooden  synagogue,  from 
whose  roof  Titus  had  directed  his  operations  against 
the  Sanctuary.  They  ran  amid  a  blaze  of  light  cast 
by  torches,  the  object  of  the  Jews  being  evidently  to 
fire  the  synagogue  in  the  hope  of  burning  such  of  the 
enemy  as  lay  sleeping  within. 

They  failed  in  their  purpose,  however.  Both  from 
the  nearer  synagogue  itself  and  from  the  more  distant 
cloisters,  the  Romans  poured  forth  with  clanging  buck- 
ler and  flashing  broadsword ;  a  desperate  hand-to-hand 
combat  took  place,  lasting  for  a  brief  space  only,  in- 
asmuch as  the  Zealots,  seeing  the  number  of  their  foes 


Moved  i)\    ;i   Divine  impulse 


Pajrc  iH) 


"  Watchman,  What  of  the  Night?  "    329 

increasing  moment  by  moment,  turned  tail  and  fled, 
pursued  by  the   shouting,   triumphant  legionaries. 

Crispus  and  Rufus,  who  had  taken  an  active  part 
in  the  fray,  joined  also  in  the  pursuit. 

Suddenly,  while  Rufus  ran  on,  Crispus  stopped,  at- 
tracted by  the  sight  of  a  flaming  torch  dropped  prob- 
ably by  a  flying  Zealot.  Moved  by  some  unaccountable 
prompting  he  picked  it  up,  and  as  he  did  so  he  caught 
sight  of  something  above  that  sent  a  strange  thrill 
through  him ;  all  unconsciously  he  had  checked  his  foot- 
steps beneath  the  golden  window  of  the  room  Gazith, 
that  judgment-hall  in  which  the  Saviour  of  the  world 
had  received  His  sentence  of  condemnation  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Sanhedrim. 

Something  light  and  cool  stirred  the  hair  of  Crispus ; 
it  was  a  faint  wind  coming  from  the  north,  the  very 
direction  required  to  carry  the  flames  throughout  the 
building ! 

Let  others  regard  these  things  as  mere  coincidences ; 
to  Crispus  they  were  signs  that  the  hour,  long  pre- 
destined, had  come. 

"  Marcus,"  said  he,  stopping  one  of  his  own  soldiers 
who  was  running  past  at  that  moment,  "  lift  me  up  to 
yon  window." 

Without  a  word  the  man  clasping  his  tribune's  ankles, 
reared  him  aloft,  and  set  his  feet  upon  his  own  shoul- 
ders. 

For  a  moment  Crispus  hesitated ;  then,  as  the  his- 
torian of  the  event  testifies,  "  moved  by  a  Divine  im- 
pulse," he  thrust  the  flambeau  through  the  golden 
lattices,  and,  having  eff*ectively  kindled  the  woodwork 
of  the  interior,  sprang  to  the  ground  again. 

So  little  time  had  he  taken  that  it  was  doubtful 
whether  any  other  Roman  besides  Marcus  had  witnessed 
his  act ;  certain  it  was  that  none  of  the  Zealots  sus- 
pected that  there  was  kindling  a  fire  whose  flames  were 
destined  to  sweep  the  temple  from  end  to  end. 

Crispus  glanced  at  the  gate  from  which  the  Zealots 


330  The  Doomed  City 

had  issued  but  a  few  minutes  previously ;  having  re- 
treated to  it  they  were  now  endeavoring  with  might 
and  main  to  stay  the  entering  of  the  Romans. 

He  turned  his  eyes  again  to  the  golden  window,  and 
laughed  to  see  that  the  light  within  was  increasing  in 
brightness ;  the  whole  room  must  soon  be  in  a  blaze, 
and  the  hall  that  had  once  reverberated  with  the  un- 
just cry,  "  He  is  guilty  of  death,"  would  be  the  first 
of  the  temple-chambers  to  perish. 

As  yet  no  one  either  within  or  without  the  building 
seemed  to  be  aware  of  what  was  going  on ;  so  much 
the  better!  the  fire  would  gain  such  a  hold  that  human 
efforts  must  fail  to  extinguish  it. 

The  room  above  the  hall  Gazith  was  now  burning, 
burning  with  a  hidden  glow.  Then,  all  in  a  moment, 
with  a  snap  and  a  crackle,  there  leaped  skywards  a 
dazzling  sheet  of  flame  accompanied  by  a  wave  of 
black  smoke  and  a  fierce  shower  of  red  sparks  that, 
carried  by  the  northern  wind,  swept  southwards  over 
the  Sanctuary. 

That  startling  glare,  lighting  up  the  dusk  of  night 
with  the  sudden  brightness  of  noontide,  caused  the 
fighting  at  the  gate  to  cease  for  a  moment ;  Roman 
and  Zealot  alike  turned  their  eyes  to  ascertain  the 
cause. 

A  moment  afterwards  there  ran  through  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  Sanctuary  one  thrilling  simul- 
taneous shout : 

"  The  temple  is  on  fire!  " 

By  this  time  the  whole  Roman  force  that  had  lain 
within  the  cloisters  had  gathered  round  the  Sanctuary. 
Their  feeling  was  one  of  dismay,  for  the  fire  was  de- 
stroying their  hopes  of  plunder.  Behind  those  walls 
there  lay  stores  of  wealth  greater  far  than  were  ever 
contained  in  the  palace  of  the  Csesars ;  the  gold  and 
silver  utensils  used  in  the  sacrifices ;  the  rich  oflTerings 
— accumulations  of  centuries — made  by  pious  Jews 
throughout   the  world;  the  jeweled  vestments   of  the 


"  Watcliman,  What  of  the  Night?  "    331 

priests ;  the  hoards  of  costly  spices ;  the  countless  shek- 
els plundered  from  the  citizens  by  the  Zealots. 

For  several  days  previously  the  Roman  soldiery  had 
talked  of  little  else  but  the  temple-treasures  with  which 
they  were  hoping  to  enrich  themselves  as  a  recompense 
after  their  many  weeks  of  toil. 

And  now  must  they  lose  their  reward? 

If  they  should  wait  till  the  morning,  the  time  fixed 
by  Titus  for  the  final  assault  upon  the  Sanctuary,  the 
riches  would  be  consumed.     Why  tarry .'' 

A  moment  they  stood,  irresolute,  murmuring;  then, 
with  a  simultaneous  shout,  "  On  to  the  gold  of  the 
temple !  "  each  soldier  firmly  grasping  blade  and  shield, 
and  disregarding  the  remonstrations  of  his  officer, 
inished  forward  to  whichever  gate  of  the  nine  happened 
to  be  nearest. 

The  Zealots,  massed  in  dense  bodies  at  each  entrance, 
fought  with  fanatical  fury,  animated  by  no  other  desire 
than  that  of  revenging  themselves  upon  their  enemies 
and  of  perishing  amid  the  blazing  ruins  of  the  temple. 

Those  Romans  who  attacked  the  great  Corinthian 
Gate  were  the  first  to  fight  their  way  in.  Headed  by 
Terentius  Rufus,  who,  finding  himself  unable  to  check 
his  men,  determined  to  lead  them,  they  entered  the 
quadrangle  known  as  the  Court  of  the  Women,  so 
called  because  thus  far  women  might  enter  to  worship, 
but  not  farther. 

This  court  contained,  among  other  things,  the  twelve 
chests  with  funnel-shaped  openings  into  which  pious 
Jews  were  wont  to  drop  their  free-will  offerings. 

While  some  of  the  Romans  were  breaking  open  these 
treasury  boxes  and  others  were  dispersing  into  the 
chambers  around  in  search  of  plunder,  a  third  and  more 
numerous  party,  led  by  Rufus,  continued  the  fight, 
driving  the  Zealots  before  them  across  the  Court  of 
the  Women,  and  up  the  semicircular  ascent  of  twelve 
stairs  that  fronted  the  great  brazen  gate  of  Nicanor, 
which  led  to  the  inner  court,  or  Court  of  Israel.    Twin- 


332  The  Boomed  City 

ing  around  the  sides  and  aboA'e  the  entablature  of  this 
entrance  was  an  object  attractive  to  the  eyes  of  plun- 
derers— the  celebrated  vine  whose  branches,  leaves,  and 
grape-clusters  were  all  of  pure  gold. 

"  Close  the  gate !  "  shouted  Simon. 

Vain  the  command! 

Like  some  moving  wall  of  bronze,  buckler  touching 
buckler,  the  front  rank  of  the  legionaries  pushed  its 
way  forward  inch  by  inch  up  the  stairs  and  into  the 
interior  court. 

"  Way  there  for  Caesar !  "  shouted  Rufus  as,  stand- 
ing on  the  topmost  of  the  twelve  stairs,  he  caught 
sight  of  Titus,  who,  surrounded  by  his  chief  officers, 
was  seeking  to  clear  a  path  through  the  throng  of 
surging,  shouting  Romans. 

Consternation  was  written  on  the  face  of  Titus. 
Though  not  troubling  to  communicate  the  fact  to  his 
council,  he  had  pledged  his  word  both  to  Berenice  and 
to  Agrippa  that  the  temple  should  be  preserved ;  and 
now,  to  his  confusion,  there  was  fast  spreading  along 
the  northern  cloister  of  the  Sanctuary  a  fire  that,  un- 
less immediately  checked,  would  consume  the  whole 
edifice. 

Many  of  the  soldiers,  possessed  by  the  frenzy  for 
destruction  that  is  apt  to  come  upon  man  at  such  wild 
times,  were  helping  to  spread  the  conflagration  by  hurl- 
ing lighted  joists  into  the  surrounding  chambers  and 
cloisters. 

Standing  on  the  stairs  of  the  Nicanor  Gate  so  that 
he  might  the  more  plainly  be  seen,  Titus,  shouting  his 
loudest  and  making  signals  with  his  hand,  gave  orders 
to  the  soldiers  to  extinguish  the  fire. 

But  so  great  was  the  roaring  of  the  flames  and  the 
din  of  the  combat  that  few  could  hear  him,  and  those 
that  did  affected  not  to  understand,  but  went  on  with 
the  double  work  of  carnage  and  plunder. 

"  'Tis  useless  to  restrain  them,"  said  Tiberius  Alex- 
ander.    "  They  are  drunk  with  delight  at  having  come 


''  Watchman,  What  of  the  Night?  "    333 

as  they  think  to  the  end  of  their  labors.  Discipline 
is  at  an  end  for  this  night  at  least.  The  soldier  will 
acknowledge  no  master  but  his  own  will." 

"  Must  we  let  the  temple  burn  to  the  ground? " 
asked  Titus  in  despair. 

Alexander  shrugged  his  shoulders.  Secretly  he 
was  not  at  all  displeased  by  the  turn  events  were 
taking. 

"  Let  us  try  at  least  to  save  the  Golden  House,"  said 
Titus,  commanding  his  bodyguard  to  open  a  way  for 
him  into  the  inner  court. 

The  Sanctuary  formed  a  series  of  terraces,  and  upon 
the  highest  of  all,  within  the  Court  of  the  Priests,  stood 
the  world-famed  Golden  House — the  shrine  containing 
the  Holy  Place  and  the  Holy  of  Holies — now  lovely  in 
the  firelight  and  flashing  with  a  splendor  that  dazzled 
the  eyes. 

Driven  from  all  other  parts  of  the  Sanctuary  the 
Zealots  gathered  about  this  golden  shrine,  determined 
that  it  should  not  be  profaned  by  the  foot  of  the 
heathen  Gentile. 

The  triumphant  Romans  followed  to  the  attack,  and 
a  desperate  fight  ensued. 

Sword  in  hand  the  furious  Zealots  fell  by  hundreds, 
and  at  last  Simon  and  John,  seeing  that  all  was  lost, 
massed  the  survivors  at  one  point,  and  charging  at 
their  head,  succeeded  in  cutting  their  w^ay  through  the 
Roman  ranks  out  into  the  Court  of  the  Gentiles,  and 
thence  by  the  bridge  that  spanned  the  Tyropaeon  they 
made  their  way  into  the  Upper  City. 

The  flight  of  the  Zealots  was  followed  by  a  terrible 
carnage  around  the  great  brazen  altar  of  sacrifice,  a 
sort  of  truncated  pyramid,  forty-eight  feet  square  at 
the  base,  standing  directly  in  front  of  the  Golden 
House.  Hither,  upon  the  first  entering  of  the  Romans, 
had  fled  a  helpless,  trembling  crowd  of  children,  women, 
and  aged  men,  thinking  that  the  sanctity  of  the  spot 
Fould  stay  the  sword  of  the  conqueror. 


334  The  Doomed  City 

Vain  hope ! 

The  foe,  made  cruel  by  the  long  duration  of  the 
siege,  stabbed  and  slew  without  distinction  of  age  or 
sex ;  the  bodies  of  the  dead  lay  piled  like  hecatombs 
upon  the  sacrificial  altar ;  upon  the  pavement  around 
the  red  blood  spread  in  a  quickly  widening  circle,  till, 
reaching  the  marble  stairs,  it  rolled  in  sullen  streams 
into  the  courts  below. 

Though  isolated  groups  of  desperate  Jews  continued 
here  and  there  to  fight  Titus  was  now  practically  mas- 
ter of  the  temple,  but  the  victory  gave  him  little  pleas- 
ure when  he  noticed  the  progress  made  by  the  fire, 
which,  fanned  by  the  wind,  had  reached  one  end  of  the 
northern  cloister,  and,  having  turned  the  angle,  was 
now  fast  advancing  along  the  western  cloister,  and 
would  soon  be  on  a  line  parallel  with  the  western  wall 
of  the  Golden  House ;  true,  a  space  separated  the  clois- 
ter from  the  shrine,  but  the  space  was,  perhaps,  not  too 
wide  for  the  flames  to  leap  across ;  already  sparks  and 
fragments  of  fiery  matter,  floated  by  the  wind,  were 
beginning  to  patter  upon  the  fretted  and  pinnacled 
roof. 

Moved  by  Titus'  look  of  despair,  Alexander  put  forth 
a  suggestion. 

"  We  can  perhaps  preserve  it  by  drenching  its  roof 
with  water." 

"But  whence  the  water.'*" 

"  There  is  a  draw-well  on  the  southern  side  of  the 
Sanctuary." 

Springing  upon  one  of  the  many  marble  tables  where 
sacrificial  victims  were  laid  prior  to  their  being  offered 
upon  the  brazen  altar,  Titus,  trying  to  make  his  voice 
heard  above  the  noise  of  fire  and  vociferation,  shouted 
that  the  soldiers  should  bring  water  for  the  preserving 
of  the  Golden  House. 

But  none  would  put  hand  to  the  work,  for  the  sides 
and  western  end  of  this  house  were  set  about  with 
treasury  vaults,  and  the  fool  who  spent  his  time  like 


"  Watchman,  What  of  the  Night?  "    335 

a  slave  in  fetching  water  would  lose  the  chance  of  en- 
riching himself. 

"  Urge  them  to  the  work,  Liberalis !  "  cried  Titus, 
addressing  a  centurion.  "  Threaten  them !  Strike 
them  with  your  staff !  " 

Liberalis  did  so,  but  all  in  vain ;  respect  for  Caesar 
gave  way  to  the  insatiable  desire  for  plunder. 

"  Let  us  see  the  interior  of  the  Golden  House,  ere 
it  perish  forever,"  said  Alexander. 

Speaking  thus,  he  led  the  way ;  Titus  and  his  staff 
followed,  walking  ankle-deep  in  blood. 

Entering  the  Propyleon,  a  magnificent  porch  with 
wings  on  each  hand  extending  far  beyond  the  width 
of  the  shrine,  they  stood  before  the  great  golden  gate, 
and  found  it  barred  from  within. 

"  'Twill  require  a  battering-ram  to  force  it,"  said 
Titus,  hesitating  at  such  a  measure.  There  came  into 
his  mind  tales  told  him  by  Berenice  of  Gentiles  who 
had  fallen  dead  for  profaning  a  place  sacred  to  the 
Jewish  priesthood  only. 

"  There  is  a  little  wicket  at  the  side  by  which  the 
priest  enters  to  unbar  the  door  in  the  morning,"  said 
Alexander.  "  The  noble  Agrippa  will  perhaps  lead 
the  way.''  "  he  added,  addressing  that  king,  who  stood 
beside  Titus. 

But  Agrippa  declined  the  honor. 

"  Naj^,  I'll  give  thee  the  precedency,"  he  answered. 

"  Thy  face  is  pale,  Agrippa.  Thou  fearest,"  sneered 
Alexander. 

What  no  orthodox  Jew  durst  do,  and  what  even  the 
Roman  hesitated  at,  was  done  by  the  apostate  Alex- 
ander. 

Putting  his  shoulder  to  the  little  wicket  he  forced 
it  wide,  passed  boldly  within,  and,  having  first  drawn 
aside  the  Babylonian  curtain,  he  unbarred  the  double 
doors,  and  flung  open  the  Holy  Place  to  the  profane 
gaze  of  the  Romans,  who  saw  what  they  had  never 
before  seen,  what  no  man  would  ever  see  again. 


336  The  Doomed  City 

A  low  murmur  of  admiration  broke  from  Titus  and 
his  staff  at  the  beauty  of  the  golden  interior  all  radiant 
in  the  wild  light  of  the  leaping  flames. 

On  the  right  or  north  side  was  seen  the  golden  table, 
but  without  the  twelve  loaves  of  shewbread ;  on  the  left 
the  seven-branched  golden  candlestick,  unlighted;  at 
the  far  end  rose  the  golden  altar  of  incense,  standing 
in  front  of  the  solemn  "  veil,"  a  curtain  of  linen  finely 
twined;  in  color  an  admirable  mingling  of  blue,  and 
scarlet,  and  purple,  and  wrought  in  golden  thread  with 
the  figures  of  cherubim. 

"  Let  these  things  be  brought  forth  and  kept  against 
the  day  of  my  triumph,"  said  Titus. 

Emboldened  by  the  example  of  Alexander  he  passed 
into  the  Holy  Place  and  came  to  the  veil  that  hung  at 
its  far  end. 

This  Alexander  lifted,  and  Titus  gazed  with  curious 
eye  upon  the  Holy  of  Holies,  the  place  where  the  Shechi- 
nah  had  once  dwelt.  But  the  Divine  Presence  had  long 
since  departed ;  the  place  was  empty  save  for  an  oblong 
stone  upon  which  rested  a  golden  ark  with  two  golden 
cherubim,  one  on  each  side,  having  their  faces  bent 
downwards  and  their  wings  expanded.  The  stone  itself 
was  not  without  interest,  seeing  that,  in  Hebrew 
opinion,  it  marked  the  very  center  of  the  earth's  sur- 
face. 

Directing  that  the  ark  and  the  cherubim,  with  the 
other  sacred  furniture,  should  be  carried  to  his  own 
quarters,  Titus   came  forth  again. 

The  imagination  of  Dante  could  scarcely  conceive  a 
scene  more  wild  and  weird  than  that  now  taking 
place. 

A  wind  blowing  from  the  north  carried  into  the 
temple-courts  whirling  clouds  of  smoke  and  intermittent 
gusts  of  heat  that  came  and  went  like  the  breath  of  a 
fiery  furnace. 

Amid  the  roaring  of  the  flames  could  be  heard  the 
shrieks   of  victims   cut  off'  from  escape,  intermingled 


''Watchman,  What  of  the  Night?''    337 

with  the  crackling  of  cedar  roofs  and  the  crash  of  fall- 
ing masonry. 

The  shouting  legionaries,  fierce  with  the  lust  for 
gold,  were  running  hither  and  thither  like  madmen, 
ransacking  first  this  chamber  and  then  that.  Here  and 
there  some  priest,  detected  in  hiding,  would  find  him- 
self surrounded  by  fierce-eyed  soldiers,  and  with  the 
keen  edge  of  a  sword  laid  across  his  windpipe,  he  would 
be  addressed  with  the  cry,  "  Show  us  gold,  and  you 
shall  live !  "  And  wild  were  scenes  that  occurred  when 
some  new  vault  was  discovered  glittering  with  treasure, 
the  plunderers  trampling  each  other  down  in  their 
eagerness  to  be  first  at  the  spoil. 

On  all  sides  were  to  be  seen  men  carrying  off  vessels 
of  gold  and  silver,  ingots  of  the  same  precious  metals, 
bags  of  shekels,  jewel-hilted  weapons,  myrrhine  vases, 
caskets  of  ivory,  ebony,  and  alabaster  filled  with  spices, 
ointments,  and  perfumes,  costly  vestments,  and  ten 
thousand  other  objects  of  spoil.  Never  in  all  the  world's 
history  did  riches  so  vast  fall  to  the  lot  of  a  conquer- 
ing army  as  fell  to  those  who  plundered  the  temple — 
riches  that  were  destined  within  a  week  to  send  down 
the  price  of  gold  in  the  markets  of  Syria  to  one-half 
of  its  former  value ! 

The  attention  of  Titus  was  attracted  by  two  men 
who  were  dragging  along  a  heavy  cedar  chest  which 
they  had  just  rescued  from  the  flames;  but  on  breaking 
it  open,  they  found  within,  not  gold,  as  they  had  hoped, 
but  books  merely — historic  writings,  temple  records, 
genealogical  rolls,  and  the  like.  In  their  disappoint- 
ment the  two  were  about  to  set  fire  to  the  whole,  but 
were  checked  by  Titus. 

"  Hold  !  Let  these  be  kept  for  Josephus.  I  doubt 
not  that  he  will  esteem  them  more  highly  than  gold. 
Carry  this  chest  to  my  tent." 

But  though  Titus  might  save  the  sacred  books  of 
the  temple,  the  Golden  House  he  could  not  save. 

Unperceived  by  him  a  soldier,  moved  by  a  frenzy  to 


338  The  Boomed  City 

destroy,  held  a  lighted  torch  between  the  hinges  of  the 
golden  door ;  a  flame  sprang  up  which,  from  lack  of 
•water  to  quench  it,  spread  rapidly  over  the  whole,  a 
sight  viewed  with  satisfaction  by  the  soldiery. 

"  Where  is  now  the  God  of  the  Jews  ?  "  they  cried. 

Numerous  figures,  clad  in  priestly  vestments,  now 
appeared  upon  the  burning  roof. 

"  Who  are  these?  "  asked  Titus. 

"  Priests,"  replied  Alexander,  "  forced  by  the  heat 
from  the  secret  chambers,  of  which  there  are  many 
about  the  Golden  House." 

"  Surrender,  and  your  lives  shall  be  spared,"  shouted 
Titus. 

But  to  this  invitation  the  priests  replied  by  a  flood 
of  curses.  Wrenching  from  the  roof  the  gilded  spikes, 
with  their  leaden  sockets,  they  hurled  them  as  missiles 
against  the  foe. 

The  eddying  flames,  the  blinding  smoke,  the  over- 
powering heat,  now  forced  Titus  and  every  other  Ro- 
man, not  only  from  the  vicinity  of  the  Golden  House, 
but  from  the  Sanctuary  itself;  for  the  outer  circle  of 
fire,  having  traversed  both  the  western  and  eastern 
cloisters,  had  now  seized  upon  the  southern  side,  threat- 
ening to  cut  off  the  retreat  of  all  who  lingered  within. 

As  there  was  still  abundant  pillage  left,  the  soldiers 
quitted  the  burning  building  with  reluctance ;  some 
lingering  too  long  were  overtaken  by  the  flames,  and 
did  not  quit  it  at  all,  while  others  by  their  scorched 
clothing,  singed  eyebrows,  and  half-burnt  beards 
showed  how  narrowlj^  they  had  escaped  death. 

Withdrawing  to  a  safe  distance  Titus  and  his  staff 
continued  to  watch  the  appalling  spectacle,  the  like  of 
which  they  had  not  seen  since  the  burning  of  Rome 
by  Nero. 

"  The  whole  summit  of  the  hill  blazed  like  a  volcano. 
One  after  another  the  buildings  fell  in  with  a  tremen- 
dous crash,  and  were  swallowed  up  in  the  fiery  abyss. 
The  roofs  of  cedar  were  like  sheets  of  flame ;  the  gilded 


"  Watchman,  What  of  the  Night?  "    339 

pinnacles  shone  like  spikes  of  red  light.  The  gate 
towers  sent  up  tall  columns  of  flame  and  smoke." 

But  if  it  were  an  appalling  spectacle  to  the  Roman 
what  was  it  to  the  Jew? 

All  along  the  northern  ramparts  of  Mount  Zion  was 
gathered  a  vast  multitude  (for  though  myriads  had 
died  of  famine,  there  were  still  myriads  left) — a  count- 
less host  of  gaunt,  famishing  specters,  who  looked  fear- 
fully into  each  other's  eyes  as  if  asking  whether  what 
they  saw  could  be   real. 

Miist  they  let  go  the  great  hope  that  had  so  long 
sustained  them.?  During  the  space  of  four  years,  ever 
since  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  they  had  lived  in  hope 
of  the  immediate  advent  of  the  Messiah,  who  should 
overturn  the  empire  of  the  wicked  Romans  and  estab- 
lish a  glorious  kingdom  for  Israel. 

And  this  was  the  end  of  it  all — to  know  that  the 
fiery  star  in  the  sky  had  been  but  mocking  them  all 
this  time;  to  learn  that  their  own  Jehovah  had  taken 
the  side  of  the  heathen  enemy !  to  see  the  temple,  which 
they  had  supposed  eternal,  sinking  in  the  flames !  to 
be  so  near  the  realization  of  the  grandest  of  visions, 
and  to  be  forced  to  renounce  it  when  their  tutelary 
angel  had  already  partially  withdrawn  the  cloud!  to  be 
compelled  to  accept  the  soul-shaking  alternative  that 
either  their  holy  scriptures  had  lied  in  stating  that  the 
Messiah  should  come  during  the  time  of  the  Second 
Temple,  or  that  He  must  have  already  appeared,  only 
to  be  rejected  by  them!  to  see  all  their  bright  hopes 
vanish  into  space !  Was  ever  nation  so  fearfully  de- 
ceived as  this  nation? 

They  gazed  again  and  again  in  doubt  and  bewilder- 
ment; and  when,  at  last,  they  were  forced  to  realize 
that  the  temple  was  actually  blazing,  and  that  angelic 
powers  would  not  descend  from  the  skies  to  help  them, 
there  pealed  forth  into  the  infinity  of  night  long  shrieks, 
terrible  in  their  pathos  and  despair ;  the  shrieks  of  a 
dying  nation ;  shrieks  so  piercingly  loud  that  they  were 


340  The  Boomed  City 

echoed  and  re-echoed  from  all  the  hills  that  surrounded 
the  city. 

Slowly  the  leaping  flames  sank  and  died  out,  to  be 
followed  here  and  there  by  intermittent  flashes  and  flick- 
erings ;  and  then,  at  last,  the  darkness  of  night  fell 
over  the  smoking,  smoldering,  blackened  ruins. 

Three  centuries  later  the  heathen  emperor  Julian, 
resolving  to  show  that  Christ  was  a  false  prophet, 
called  upon  the  Jews  to  rebuild  their  temple. 

The  supernatural  circumstances  attending  the  defeat 
of  this  project  on  the  part  of  him,  whose  last,  dying 
cry  was,  "  Thou  hast  conquered,  O  Galilasan ! "  are 
attested  alike  by  pagan  and  by  Christian  writer.  The 
lesson    of    history    is    clear:    the    abolition    of    the 

TEMPLE  WAS  THE  ACT  OF  GOD  ! 


CHAPTER  XXV 

"  JUD^A   CAPTA ! " 

Thus  was  the  temple  burnt,  and  when  Titus  learned 
— for  the  matter  was  secretly  reported  to  him — whose 
was  the  hand  that  had  kindled  the  first  flame,  he  swore 
by  all  his  gods  that  Crispus  should  suffer  death ;  and, 
in  so  resolving,  he  tried  to  think  that  he  was  actuated 
by  a  spirit  of  justice,  and  not  by  the  wish  of  removing 
one  who  was  a  hindrance  to  his  union  with  Berenice. 
That  princess  had  often  spoken  of  Crispus'  purpose  as 
touching  the  temple,  but  at  her  fears  Titus  had 
laughed,  never  thinking  that  Crispus  would  so  far 
transcend  all  rules  of  military  discipline  as  to  dare  to 
fire  a  magnificent  edifice  without  due  orders  from  his 
commander-in-chief.  But  Crispus  had  dared  so  to  act, 
and  fiercely  did  Titus  express  his  wrath  to  those  of  his 
officers  with  whom  he  breakfasted  next  morning. 

Tiberius  Alexander  tried  to  placate  his  angry  chief. 

"What  command  did  Crispus  disobey.''  He  fired  the 
building  ere  he  learned  of  your  decree." 

"  Is  Crispus,  forsooth,  commander-in-chief.'*  By 
whose  orders  did  he  act  ?  " 

"  By  those  of  the  immortal  gods,  I  verily  believe," 
replied  Alexander.  "  Josephus,  whom  you  regard  so 
highly,  will  tell  you  that  it  is  the  Divine  will  that  the 
temple  should  perish.  Crispus  could  not  resist  his 
destiny.     It  was  fated  that  he  should  so  act." 

"  Very  like.  And  'twas  fated,  too,  that  I  should 
behead  him." 

Alexander's  face  darkened. 

"  By  so  treating  the  bravest  soldier  in  your  army 
you  will  incense  the  legions  to  the  verge  of  mutiny." 

341 


342  The  Boomed  City 

"  Be  that  as  It  may,"  retorted  Titus,  frowning,  for 
he  well  knew  that  there  was  truth  in  what  the  other 
had  said. 

"  And  you  will  lose  my  services,  for  I  shall  immedi- 
ately return  to  Alexandria." 

"  And  I  shall  resign  my  tribuneship,"  said  Rufus. 

"  And  I !  " — "  And  I !  "  came  from  many  others. 

As  he  beheld  the  stern  faces  of  his  staff  Titus  saw 
the  imperative  necessity  of  revoking  his  too  hasty  judg- 
ment upon  Crispus.  He  could  not  afford  to  lose  his 
bravest  officers  with  that  terrible  stronghold  of  Zion — • 
the  goal  of  all  his  labors — still  untaken.  Moreover, 
there  Avas  Vespasian  to  think  of ;  he  would  not  be  pleased 
at  the  execution  of  one  for  whom  he  had  always  enter- 
tained a  fatherly  affection. 

"  Summon  Crispus  to  our  presence,"  said  he  moodily, 
addressing  a  centurion. 

The  messenger  departed,  and  presently  returned  with 
a  grave  face.  Crispus,  it  seemed,  had  been  carried 
forth  from  the  previous  night's  battle  so  slashed  with 
wounds  that  his  recovery  was  a  matter  of  doubt. 

"  He  was  endeavoring,"  stated  the  centurion,  "  to 
save  from  slaughter  an  aged  widow,  named  Miriam,  who 
had  taken  refuge  at  the  altar — an  action  on  his  parb 
that  so  incensed  some  of  those  Syrian  allies  who,  if 
Caesar  will  pardon  me  for  saying  it,  are  the  curse  of 
our  army,  that  they  dared. to  turn  their  arms  against 
him — a  Roman  tribune !  " 

"  By  Castor,  if  he  can  point  them  out,  they  shall  be 
crucified !  "  exclaimed  Titus.  "  Well,  since  he  cannot 
come  to  me,  I  must  go  to  him.  O,  fear  not,  brave  cap- 
tains," he  added,  observing  their  dubious  looks,  "  my 
resentment  is  over.  You  have  my  word  for  it  that 
Crispus  shall  come  to  no  hurt  through  me." 

So  saying,  he  followed  the  centurion,  and  came  to  the 
castellum,  or  fort,  where  upon  a  pallet  lay  Crispus, 
swathed  in  bandages,  and  looking  more  dead  than 
alive. 


'"Judcea  Capta!'*  343 

The  sight  of  the  pallid  figure  disarmed  all  Titus' 
anger,  and  in  sympathetic  tones  he  expressed  his  sorrow 
at  seeing  Crispus  in  such  state. 

"  It  is  better  thus,"  said  Crispus,  believing  his  end 
to  be  at  hand.     "  Berenice  will  be  free." 

"  Now  by  the  gods ! "  exclaimed  Titus,  his  better 
nature  flashing  out,  "  a  plague  on  these  women  who  set 
friend  and  friend  at  variance.  If  Berenice  is  to  be  won 
only  at  the  cost  of  your  life,  may  she  never  be  won, 
say  I.  But  as  to  this  matter,  do  you  know  that  Bere- 
nice denies  that  she  was  the  veiled  lady  of  Beth- 
tamar.''  " 

"  But  you  do  not  believe  her?  " 

Titus'  silence  would  seem  to  show  that  he  was  of  the 
same  opinion  as  Crispus. 

He  spoke  a  few  more  cheering  words,  and  then  took 
his  departure.  Making  his  way  to  the  ruins  of  the 
temple,  he  was  hailed  with  loud  cries  of  "  Ave,  Im- 
perator!  "  by  the  soldiery,  who,  assembled  before  the 
blackened  eastern  gate,  were  offering  incense  and  pray- 
ers to  the  eagles,  the  gods  that,  in  their  superstitious 
fancy,  had  given  them  the  victory. 

'^  '  Imperator ! '  "  said  Titus  scornfully,  recalling 
their  disobedience  of  the  previous  night.  "  Very  much 
imperator,  when  ye  let  the  temple  burn  contrary  to  mv 
will." 

It  was  customary  among  the  Roman  troops  to  honor 
the  victorious  general  with  a  new  title  drawn  from  the 
name  of  the  people  subdued  by  him — Scipio  Africanus 
and  Metellus  Creticus  are  cases  in  point — but  when 
some  of  the  soldiery  proceeded  further  to  salute  Titus 
with  the  epithet  "  Judaicus,"  he  sternly  forbade  them 
to  use  an  appellation  that  he  knew  would  be  a  perpetual 
reminder  to  Berenice  of  the  fall  of  her  nation. 

Though  the  ordinary  soldier  was  left  to  cure  his 
wounds  as  best  he  might,  with  the  aid  of  his  sympa- 
thizing comrades,  Titus  himself  was  attended  in  this 
campaign  by  a  Greek  physician,  whom  he  now  sent  to 


344.  The  Boomed  City 

watch  over  Crispus,  and  great  was  the  satisfaction 
throughout  the  camp  when  it  became  known  that  the 
state  of  the  patient  was  such  as  to  afford  good  ground 
for  hope. 

A  week  later  Titus,  when  paying  a  second  visit  to 
Crispus,  dwelt  again  on  the  subject  of  Berenice. 

"  No  man,"  said  he,  "  would  risk  his  life,  as  you  did, 
in  rescuing  a  damsel  from  a  beleaguered  city — you  see 
I  know  the  story — unless  he  were  madly  enamored  of 
her.  Since  your  heart  is  set,  not  upon  Berenice  but 
upon  this  Vashti,  what  is  to  prevent  you  from  repudiat- 
ing the  one  and  taking  the  other.?  " 

"  Firstly,  I  have  not  said  that  my  heart  is  set  upon 
Vashti ;  secondly,  even  if  it  were  so,  my  Christian  creed 
forbids  me  acting  in  the  way  your  prescribe.  With 
Christians  marriage  is  a  perpetual  obligation." 

"  Crispus,  don't  deny  it ;  you  love  this  Vashti,  and 
yet  you  are  going  to  allow  your  foolish  religion — for 
such  must  I  call  it — to  stand  in  the  way  of  your  de- 
sires. But  I  doubt  whether  you  fully  understand  your 
own  creed.  I  have  been  conversing  with  some  of  your 
faith,  for  it  appears  that  you  are  not  the  only  Chris- 
tian in  our  army,  and  their  saying  is  that  if  a  wife 
takes  a  lover,  her  husband  is  justified  in  obtaining  a 
divorce.  It  is  Berenice's  intention,"  added  Titus 
significantly,  "  to  supply  you  with  the  grounds  for 
one." 

In  his  pagan  days  Crispus  would  have  readily  availed 
himself  of  this  way  of  escaping  from  a  union  that  was 
hateful  to  him,  but  being  no  longer  a  pagan,  he  would 
not  consent  to  Berenice's  doing  evil  that  thereby  good 
might  come  to  him, 

"  Csesar,"  said  he,  "  I  will  be  no  party  to  this  scheme, 
which  I  look  upon  as  an  infamous  one.  Nay,  more;  if 
you  so  act,  I  will  have  justice  upon  you.  Forget  not 
the  oath  of  your  sire,  Vespasian,  that  he  would  hang 
the  man  who  takes  my  wife  from  me,  though  that  man 
were  his  own  son.     Do  this  thing,  and  I  will  accuse 


"  Jud(Ba  Capiat"  345 

you  at  the  foot  of  the  imperial  throne,  and  demand  that 
he  keep  his  word." 

Titus  laughed  pleasantly. 

"  I'll  take  the  risk,"  said  he. 

And  with  that  he  withdrew,  bent  on  fulfilling  his 
purpose,  as  Crispus  was  equally  bent  on  fulfilling 
his. 

Among  others  that  visited  Crispus  during  his  illness 
was  Josephus,  who,  as  intending  to  write  a  history  of 
the  war,  was  naturally  desirous  of  obtaining  all  the 
information  he  could  respecting  the  burning  of  the 
temple. 

Crispus  complied  with  this  request,  but  as  he  had 
no  particular  desire  for  worldly  fame,  he  added: 

"  Keep  my  name  out  of  the  history." 

"  Is  it  possible,"  smiled  Josephus,  "  in  view  of  your 
great  deeds  ?  " 

"  Quite  possible.  You  can  allude  to  me  as  '  a  certain 
captain  tribune,'  or  '  one  of  the  soldiers.'  "  And  then, 
turning  to  a  matter  of  far  more  interest  to  liim  than 
future  fame,  he  said,  "  Do  you  know  that  your  ward 
Vashti  is  a  slave  in  the  household  of  the  Princess  Bere- 
nice? " 

"  Yea,  I  know  it,"  said  Josephus  with  a  queer  smile, 
the  meaning  of  which  was  not  at  all  apparent  to  Cris- 
pus, "  and  I  am  this  day  setting  off  for  C^esarea,  carry- 
ing to  the  princess  a  letter  from  Titus  enjoining  her  to 
deal  tenderly  with  my  ward." 

"  That  is  good,  but  it  would  be  better  were  he  send- 
ing an  order  that  she  must  be  set  at  liberty.  However, 
that  will  perhaps  come  in  time,"  he  continued,  resolving 
to  petition  Vespasian  on  behalf  of  Vashti.  "  But  let 
me  not  delay  you.  Go,  and  heaven  prosper  your  mis- 
sion." 

Crispus  had  ordered  that  his  bed  should  be  placed 
by  a  window  from  which  he  could  watch  the  preparations 
that  were  being  made  to  storm  Mount  Zion,  where  the 
implacable  Zealots  were  making  their  last  stand.    With 


346  The  Doomed  City 

the  capture  of  that  stronghold,  the  long  siege  would 
be  brought  to  an  end. 

Titus  had  offered,  by  the  mouth  of  Josephus,  to  spare 
the  lives  of  all  the  insurgents  on  the  condition  of  in- 
stant surrender.  But  Simon  and  John  still  talked  big. 
Thej  demanded  a  free  passage  for  themselves  and  their 
followers,  together  with  their  wives  and  children,  prom- 
ising to  depart  to  some  far-off  spot  in  the  wilderness. 
Titus  rejected  these  terms,  and  in  his  anger  vowed  to 
slay  every  man,  woman,  and  child,  and  to  level  the  city 
to  the  ground. 

Then  did  Crispus  rejoice  that  Vashti  was  delivered 
from  the  possibility  of  such  doom. 

The  Roman  banks  were  completed  in  eighteen  days, 
and  on  the  nineteenth  morning  Titus  began  his  attack 
upon  the  northern  wall  of  Zion. 

Even  now  it  was  within  the  power  of  the  Zealots  to 
prolong  the  siege  for  many  weeks  in  virtue  of  their 
almost  impregnable  position  in  those  three  magnificent 
fortresses,  Hippicus,  Phasaelus,  and  Mariamne.  But 
the  steady  and  triumphant  progress  of  the  Roman  arms 
through  the  suburb  of  Bezetha  and  the  suburb  of  Acra, 
over  the  ruins  of  Antonia  and  the  ruins  of  the  temple, 
had  put  a  secret  fear  into  the  heart  of  the  Zealots, 
so  that  as  soon  as  they  heard  the  terrible  rams  swing- 
ing and  pounding  against  the  walls  of  Zion  they  quitted 
their  fortifications,  and  fled.  Some  sought  the  cata- 
combs with  which  the  sub-soil  of  Jerusalem  is  every- 
where honeycombed ;  others,  opening  the  southern  gates, 
made  a  wild  and  futile  attempt  to  force  the  Roman 
line  of  circumvallation. 

With  a  fierce  shouting  that  seemed  to  shake  the  very 
towers,  the  triumphant  legionaries  poured  over  the 
walls,  and  proceeded  to  carry  fire  and  sword  through 
the  length  and  breadth  of  the  city.  Enraged 
by  the  long  opposition  of  the  Zealots,  the  Romans 
made  no  distinction  between  the  innocent  and  the 
guilty,  but  wreaked  upon  all  alike,  man,  woman,  and 


"Judcea  Capta!'*  347 

child,  the  accumulated  vengeance  of  a  long  term  of 
weeks. 

The  flames  of  night  lit  up  wild  scenes  of  carnage, 
lust,  and  rapine,  scenes  that  have  scarcely  any  parallel 
in  history.  One  significant  fact  attests  the  extent  of 
the  slaughter — the  fires  on  the  lower  parts  of  Zion  were 
extinguished  by  the  rivers  of  blood  that  poured  down 
from  the  higher! 

The  Romans  only  ceased  from  slaying  when  their 
arms  had  become  weary  of  striking ;  the  surviving  Jews 
— still  to  be  counted  by  myriads — were  driven  like  sheep 
across  the  Tyropaeon  bridge  to  the  ruined  cloisters  of 
the  temple,  where  they  were  put  under  guard.  Scores 
of  them,  sullen  and  defiant  to  the  last,  refused  to  taste 
food  prepared  by  Gentile  hands,  and  so  died. 

When  Titus  entered  the  city  and  beheld  the  massy 
towers  which  the  Zealots  had  so  cravenly  relinquished, 
he  was  filled  with  wonder. 

"  Truly,"  he  murmured,  "  unless  the  gods  had  put 
it  into  the  hearts  of  these  men  to  flee,  we  should  never 
by  our  own  strength  have  taken  these  towers." 

But  however  much  Titus  may  have  thought  himself 
indebted  to  Divine  power,  he  showed  little  of  the  Divine 
in  his  treatment  of  the  captive  multitude,  who,  if  the 
figures  of  Josephus  are  to  be  trusted,  amounted  to 
ninety-seven  thousand ! 

For  many  days  a  sorting  process  went  on  in  the 
temple-courts.  Those  who  were  convicted  of  having 
borne  arms  against  the  Romans  were  executed  at  once. 
Seven  hundred  others,  the  tallest  and  most  handsome, 
were  set  aside  to  grace  the  triumph  of  Titus.  Of  the 
rest,  those  under  seventeen  years  of  age  were  sold  into 
slavery;  all  who  had  passed  that  age  were  either  sent 
in  fetters  to  Egypt,  there  to  work  in  the  mines,  or 
were  distributed  among  the  provinces,  to  die  in  the 
amphitheater  by  the  sword  of  the  gladiator  or  by  the 
fangs  of  wild  beasts.  As  for  the  aged  and  infirm, 
these,  as  being  useless  and  unsaleable,  were  simply  put 


348  The  Doomed  City 

to  death  in  cold  blood.  Thus  were  weeping  families 
parted  to  meet  no  more  on  earth ;  never  were  such  heart- 
rending scenes  as  those  that  took  place  in  the  temple- 
courts  upon  the  closing  days  of  September  in  the  year 
A.D.  70,  and  all  under  the  sanction  of  the  Caesar  who 
was  called  by  his  sycophantic  contemporaries,  "  Amor 
et  delicicB  generis  humani — the  love  and  darling  of  man- 
kind!" 

As  Crispus  heard  the  nightly  wailings  of  the  captive 
multitude  he  longed  for  the  day  when  the  progress  of 
Christianity  should  temper  warfare  with  a  spirit  more 
humane  and  merciful. 

Josephus  received  the  privilege  of  setting  free  from 
among  the  prisoners  all  his  former  friends,  of  whom  he 
must  have  possessed  a  remarkable  number,  seeing  that, 
after  setting  aside  his  father  and  mother,  he  con- 
trived to  liberate  nearly  two  hundred  more  of  the 
throng. 

There  were  two  faces,  however,  he  looked  for  in  vain. 

"  What  hath  become  of  Simeon  ben  Gamaliel  ?  "  he 
asked. 

"  Slain  at  the  taking  of  Zion,"  was  the  reply. 

"And  Johanan  ben  Zacchai.?  " 

That  rabbi,  it  appeared,  was  now  at  Jamnia  in 
southern  Judaea,  having  escaped  from  the  holy  city  in 
a  very  singular  manner.''  Feigning  to  be  dead,  he 
was  placed  in  a  coffin,  which  the  Zealot  sentinels  at 
the  gate  permitted  to  be  carried  forth  for  burial  within 
his  father's  sepulcher  in  the  glen  of  Cedron.  When 
once  outside  the  city  Johanan  made  his  way  to  the 
Roman  lines ;  and  being  permitted  to  pass  by  the  good 
will  of  Crispus  before  whom  he  happened  to  be  brought, 
he  retired  to  Jamnia.  And  here,  in  subsequent  years, 
he  established  the  celebrated  rabbinical  school  whose 
teaching  was  destined  ultimately  to  develop  into  that 
strange  system  of  Jewish  scholasticism  known  as  the 
Talmud. 

Titus  ordered  the  city  to  be  razed  to  the  ground 


"  Judcea  Capta!"  349 

with  the  exception  of  the  three  great  towers — Hippicus, 
Phasaelus,  and  Mariamne,  These  were  spared  partly 
for  the  accommodation  of  a  garrison  to  be  stationed 
there  with  a  view  of  preventing  any  attempt  at  rebuild- 
ing by  the  Jews,  but  mainly  to  demonstrate  to  posterity 
what  kind  of  a  city  it  was  that  Roman  valor  had  sub- 
dued. 

Terentius  Rufus  was  appointed  to  superintend  this 
work  of  demolition,  and  his  first  care  was  to  remove 
Crispus  to  the  splendid  apartments  in  the  tower  Hippi- 
cus, as  being  more  conducive  to  the  patient's  recovery 
than  the  close  and  squalid  quarters  of  the  castellum,  in 
which  he  had  hitherto  lain. 

It  was  a  matter  of  vexation  to  Titus  that  Simon 
the  Black  and  John  of  Giscala  were  not  to  be  found 
among  the  captive  multitude.  It  turned  out  that  the 
two  Zealot  chiefs  had  taken  refuge  in  the  catacombs 
beneath  the  city,  and  though  the  dauntless  Simon  con- 
trived for  a  while  to  elude  pursuit,  John,  reduced  by 
stress  of  famine,  came  forth  from  his  hiding  place  to 
meet,  by  a  singular  leniency  on  the  part  of  the  con- 
queror, with  the  sentence  of  perpetual  imprisonment. 

And  now,  the  Roman  troops,  having  done  the  work 
they  had  set  out  to  do,  broke  up  their  camp  and  com- 
menced a  slow  and  stately  march  to  Caesarea-by-the- 
sea,  leading  with  them  a  long  train  of  melancholy  cap- 
tives, the  remnants  of  a  once  great  nation,  together  with 
the  spoils  of  the  temple. 

Terentius  Rufus  was  left  behind  with  the  Legio  Fre- 
tensis — bricks  stamped  with  the  name  of  this  legion 
are  still  found  in  the  sub-soil  of  Zion — and  he  pro- 
ceeded to  execute  the  work  of  demolition  with  a  thor- 
oughness that  has  made  his  memory  forever  hated  by 
the  Jews.  The  Talmud  has  no  more  fearful  curses 
than  those  laid  upon  the  head  of  him  whom,  with  the 
Oriental  peculiarity  for  disfiguring  Western  names,  it 
miscalls  Turnus  Rufus. 

Over  the  site  of  what  had  once  been  a  splendid  and 


850  The  Doomed  City 

populous  city  he  drew  a  plow  in  accordance  with  the 
oath  which  he  had  sworn  to  the  Jews. 

"Where  is  now  their  God?  "  he  laughed,  in  scornful 
ignorance  that  his  own  action  was  a  striking  confirma- 
tion to  the  truth  of  the  Hebrew  religion,  for  had 
not  the  prophet  written,  "  Zion  shall  he  plowed  as  a 
field  "? 

For  the  accommodation  of  the  garrison,  however,  a 
few  houses  were  left  standing  upon  the  western  side 
of  the  city,  and  among  them  the  celebrated  Ccenacu- 
lum^  or  House  of  the  Last  Supper,  destined  in  the 
age  of  Constantine  to  be  transformed  into  a  Christian 
church. 

For  more  than  a  month  that  fugitive  of  the  cata- 
combs, Simon,  continued  to  evade  arrest.  Attended 
by  a  small  but  faithful  band  of  miners  and  hewers  of 
stone,  well  provided  with  cutting  tools,  he  had  been 
essaying  the  gigantic  feat  of  boring  his  way  through 
the  solid  rock  to  a  point  that  should  be  beyond  the 
ken  of  the  Roman  garrison,  but  the  difficulty  of  the 
work  and  the  failure  of  provisions  compelled  him  to 
relinquish  the  enterprise. 

He  then  took  a  singular  step. 

Assuming  a  white  robe  and  a  mantle  of  purple  he 
emerged  unexpectedly  from  the  ground  in  the  very 
place  where  the  temple  had  stood,  thinking  perhaps 
by  this  act  to  impress  the  Romans  with  the  belief  that 
he  was  a  new  Messiah  resuscitated  from  the  dead.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  the  soldiers  in  the  vicinity  were  not 
a  little  awe-struck  at  sight  of  this  strange  apparition 
rising  from  the  ground.  Their  first  amazement  over, 
they  drew  near,  formed  a  circle  round  him,  and  de- 
manded who  he  was. 

But  Simon  declared  that  his  name  was  not  for  vulgar 
ears. 

"  Call  your  commandant,"  said  he  with  a  mysterious 
air. 

But  when  that  commandant  proved  to  be  one  well 


''  Judcea  Capta!"  351 

acquainted  with  the  features  and  figure  of  Simon,  the 
Zealot  chief  saw  that  deception  was  at  an  end. 

Rufus  received  him  with  a  pitying  smile. 

"  Simon,  if  thou  art  attempting  to  imitate  the  God 
of  my  friend  Crispus,  thou  art  playing  the  part  to 
no  purpose.  I  know  thee  to  be  mortal  man.  Thou  art 
my  prisoner.  This  is  a  sorry  ending  for  thee.  Why 
didst  not  thou,  Roman  fashion,  fall  on  thy  blade,  and 
so  round  off  thy  wild  life.?  " 

"  'Tis  forbidden  by  our  law  to  slay  one's  self,"  re- 
turned Simon.     "  Now  tell  me  what  will  be  my  doom?  " 

"  Titus  hath  already  decreed  it.  With  a  rope  round 
thy  neck  thou  wilt  march  through  Rome  in  Caesar's 
great  triumphal  procession  that  all  the  citizens  may 
see  what  manner  of  man  it  was  that  kept  their  soldiers 
at  bay  so  long.  As  thou  walkest,  attendant  lictors  will 
beat  thee  with  rods,  for  such  is  the  custom.  If  it  will 
give  thee  any  pleasure  thou  wilt  see  borne  aloft  before 
thee  the  holy  vessels  of  thy  temple.  But  while  these 
will  be  carried  on  to  the  journey's  end  to  be  laid  up 
in  the  temple  of  Peace,  thou,  at  a  certain  point  in  the 
procession,  wilt  be  led  aside  to  the  Tarpeian  Rock,  pre- 
cipitated therefrom  and  slain.  And  a  mighty  shout 
of  joy  will  go  up  from  the  multitude,  for  it  is  not  till 
thy  death  has  been  announced  that  the  sacrifices  and 
the  feasting  will  begin.  Now,  I  might  pity  thee,  but 
that  the  memory  of  the  massacred  Roman  garrisons 
hardens  my  heart." 

*'  Better  to  fall  with  Israel  than  to  triumph  with 
Rome,"  retorted  the  Zealot. 

Rufus  had  no  further  parley  with  his  prisoner,  but 
dispatched  him  at  once  to  Titus,  who  was  then  at 
Csesarea.  What  must  have  been  the  feelings  of  Simon, 
when  he  found  himself  journeying  along  the  same  road 
as  that  on  which  he  had  gained  his  memorable  victory 
over  Cestius.''  Verily,  the  fortune  of  war  had  indeed 
changed ! 

It  was  not  till  three  months   after  the  burning  of 


852  The  Doomed  City 

the  temple  that  Crispus  was  strong  enough  to  leave 
his  chamber  in  Hippicus,  and  walk  with  halting  step 
among  the  shapeless  heaps  of  stones  which  represented 
all  that  was  left  of  the  once  proud  city. 

Accompanied  by  Rufus  he  ascended  the  temple-hill. 
Its  columns  and  cloisters,  chambers  and  courts,  had 
vanished,  but  the  Legio  Fretensis  with  all  their  toil 
had  been  unable  to  pull  apart  the  masonry  of  the  vast 
basement  on  which  the  temple  structures  had  rested. 

It  remained,  and  remains  to  this  day,  a  part  of  it 
forming  the  celebrated  "  Wailing-place  "  of  the  Jews. 

Now  as  Crispus  and  Rufus  stood  there,  they  were 
surprised  to  see  a  band  of  men  and  women,  quiet  and 
orderly,  ascending  Mount  Moriah  from  the  Vale  of 
Cedron. 

As  they  drew  near,  Crispus  recognized  in  them  his 
friends  of  Pella.  There  was  the  saintly  bishop  Simeon, 
who  had  baptized  both  him  and  Vashti ;  and  there,  too, 
were  the  two  youthful  grandsons  of  the  apostle  Jude, 
destined  on  account  of  their  Davidic  descent  to  be 
haled  one  day  before  the  jealous  tyrant  Domitian,  and 
by  him  to  be  dismissed  again  as  innocent  and  foolish 
visionaries. 

"  Now,  who  be  ye  ?  "  asked  Rufus,  casting  a  suspi- 
cious glance  at  the  throng. 

"  We  are  natives  of  Jerusalem,  who,  four  years  ago, 
quitted  the  city,  rather  than  take  up  arms  against  the 
Romans." 

"  That's  a  point  in  your  favor." 

"  These,"  explained  Crispus,  "  are  the  Christians  who 
befriended  me  during  the  time  of  my  proscription  by 
Nero." 

"  And  what  would  ye  here  ?  "  asked  Rufus,  address- 
ing them. 

"  We  seek  to  inhabit  this  place  again,  and  to  carry 
on  our  worship  as  heretofore." 

**  What !  Think  ye  that  Titus  has  destroyed  this  city 
aatrcly  to  see  it  built  again  ?  " 


"Judaea  Capta!"  353 

*'  Titus  destroyed  the  city  as  being  a  center  of  Jew- 
ish sedition,"  remarked  Crispus.  "  But  these  persons 
repudiate  the  Jewish  rehgion.  They  are  Christians 
with  no  wish  for  an  independent  kingdom.  Acknowledg- 
ing the  authority  of  Rome,  they  will  be  a  hindrance 
to  rebellion,  and  a  source  of  strength  to  us." 

"  Humph !  I  doubt  whether  Titus  will  agree  to  their 
settling  here." 

"  His  cousin,  Flavins  Clemens,  would.  Thou  knowest 
that  he  is  a  Christian." 

"  Flavius  Clemens  is  not  Cagsar." 

"  But  his  two  sons  may  become  Csesars,  seeing  that 
Vespasian  has  nominated  them  as  his  heirs  next  after 
Titus  and  Domitian,  who,  as  you  know,  are  both  child- 
less. You  and  I  may  yet  live,  Rufus,  to  see  a  Christian 
Caesar  on  the  throne,  and  a  Caesar  who  will  know  how 
to  reward  any  favor  shown  to  this  little  community 
here."  " 

There  was  something  in  this  argument,  and  Rufus 
thought  he  might  as  well  have  an  eye  to  the  future. 
To  him,  personally,  it  was  a  matter  of  indifference 
whether  the  Christians  remained  or  withdrew ;  his  only 
wish  was  not  to  be  embroiled  with  Titus. 

"■  Christians,"  said  Rufus  meditatively.  "  Humph ! 
well,"  he  added,  turning  to  Crispus,  "  since  you  warrant 
them  to  be  orderly,  and  innocent  of  any  innovation 
against  Rome,  let  them,  if  they  will,  remain  and  build. 
Titus  hath  not  actually  said  aught  to  the  contrary." 

Thus  had  the  saints  returning  from  Fella  good  cause 
to  bless  the  day  when  they  received  among  them  the 
heathen  and  proscribed  fugitive  Crispus ;  for,  thanks 
to  his  good  offices,  they  were  permitted  to  remain,  and 
by  their  daily  worship  in  the  Caenaculum  to  carry  on 
the  historic  continuity  of  the  Church  of  Jerusalem. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

JUSTICE   THE  AVENGER 

It  was  a  lovely  sunny  morning  in  April  as  Crispus 
and  Rufus  strolled  along  the  sands  in  the  vicinity  of 
Caesarea-by-the-sea. 

"  Have  you  seen  the  new  coin  struck  by  Titus  to 
commemorate  his  conquest?"  asked  Rufus;  and,  being 
answered  in  the  negative,  he  drew  forth  a  sesterce,  and 
exhibited  it  to  the  gaze  of  Crispus. 

The  obverse  of  the  coin  bore  the  laureated  head  of 
Titus ;  the  reverse,  a  graceful  palm-tree,  at  the  foot  of 
which  sat  the  weeping  figure  of  a  woman,  emblematic 
of  Judaea;  behind  the  palm  stood  Titus  in  a  military 
uniform,  with  his  foot  on  a  helmet,  holding  in  his  right 
hand  a  lance,  and  in  his  left  a  sword.  The  words 
JuD^A  Capta  formed  the  legend. 

"  This  weeping  figure  is  obviously  intended  as  a  por- 
trait of  Berenice,"  remarked  Crispus  in  some  surprise. 

"  Just  so.  'Tis  said  that  Titus,  happening  to  see 
Berenice  sitting  beneath  a  palm  weeping,  or  pretending 
to  weep,  for  her  country,  was  so  struck  by  the  sight 
that  he  ordered  the  Master  of  the  Mint  at  Caesarea  to 
immortalize  her  figure  and  attitude  in  the  issue  of  com- 
memorative coins." 

"  Did  Berenice  have  aught  to  say  on  the  matter?  " 

"  She  was  not  averse  to  it." 

No ;  doubtless  it  suited  her  taste  for  emotional  dis- 
play to  see  herself  set  forth  to  the  Roman  world  in 
the  character  of  a  devout  patriot  weeping  for  the  fall 
of  her  country.  The  hollowness  both  of  her  grief  and 
of  her  religion,  in  fact  her  entire  lack  of  womanly  feel- 

354 


Justice  the  Avenger  355 

ing,  was  shown  by  her  presence  at  the  games  held  at 
Caesarea  Philippi  in  honor  of  Domitian's  birthday, 
when  she  could  calmly  sit  in  the  amphitheater  there 
and  see  2,500  hapless  Jews  slaughtered,  either  in  com- 
bats with  wild  beasts,  or  in  fighting  with  each  other  as 
gladiators ;  for  Titus,  prevented  from  sailing  to  Rome 
by  reason  of  the  advanced  season  at  which  the  war 
ended — navigation  being  usually  suspended  during  the 
winter  months — had  spent  his  time  in  giving  a  series  of 
fetes  in  various  cities  of  the  East,  fetes  that  were 
seldom  celebrated  without  the  butchery  of  Jews  in  the 
arena. 

"  Berenice  has  been  with  Titus  at  all  these  festivi- 
ties," remarked  Rufus.  "  She  has  become  his  mistress, 
as  I  thought  she  would.  So  amorous  are  they  that  they 
all  but  fondle  each  other  in  public.  It  is  Antony  and 
Cleopatra  over  again.     Will  he  marry  her,  I  wonder?  " 

"  Not  till  I  have  divorced  her,"  responded  Crispus, 
quietly. 

Rufus  stared  in  amazement  at  this  intimation  of  a 
secret  hitherto  kept  from  him.  Crispus  proceeded  to 
tell  the  story  of  the  wedding  at  Beth-tamar,  giving 
his  reasons  for  supposing  Berenice  to  be  the  veiled  lady. 

"  The  Princess  Berenice  your  wife?  "  murmured  Ru- 
fus, scarcely  able  to  credit  the  statement.  "  Humph ! 
and  when  Caesar  takes  a  man's  wife,  where  shall  the 
man  look  for  redress  ?  " 

"  He's  welcome  to  her.  She  is  my  wife  no  longer. 
I  shall  repudiate  her." 

"  No,  not  yet,"  exclaimed  Rufus,  his  face  suddenly 
lighting  up  with  excitement.  "  You  must  not  do  so 
just  yet.  You  must  delay  your  purpose  for  a  while  in 
order  to  save  Vashti." 

"  Ha !  what  mean  you  ?  How  can  the  delay  serve 
Vashti?" 

Rufus  laughed  with  a  sort  of  good-humored  con- 
tempt at  what  he  conceived  to  be  a  sad  lack  of  dis- 
cernment on  the  part  of  Crispus, 


356  The  Boomed  City 

"  Was  there  any  stipulation  made  at  this  marriage 
that  the  wife  was  to  retain  the  separate  possession  of 
her  property?  " 

"  None." 

"  Then  Vashti  may  be  set  free." 

"How.P"  asked  Crispus  eagerly. 

"  By  you,  of  course.  O,  dullard !  All  you  have  to 
do  now  is  to  walk  into  the  presence  of  Titus  and  Bere- 
nice, and  to  say,  '  Woman,  you  are  my  wife.  The  law 
gives  you  to  me,  as  doth  also  this  document  signed  by 
Vespasian.'  Titus  dare  not  oppose  you,  if  you  are  deter- 
mined to  assert  your  legal  rights.  Then  you  lead  the 
proud  princess  home,  by  force  if  she  will  not  come  by 
persuasion,  and  you  address  her  thus :  '  You  are  mine, 
and  all  that  you  have  is  mine,  including  your  household 
slaves.  Therefore,  in  the  exercise  of  my  lawful  right, 
I  declare  this  maiden  Vashti  to  be  free.'  That's  the 
plan  you  must  adopt,  Crispus.  Afterwards,  repudiate 
her,  if  you  will ;  but — liberate  Vashti  first." 

Crispus,  with  the  fire  of  hope  coursing  through  his 
veins,  resolved  to  follow  the  daring  suggestion  of 
Rufus. 

"  The  sooner  this  business  be  done,  the  better,"  said 
he. 

"  There  I  agree  with  you.  What  more  appropriate 
time  than  to-morrow  night  when  Berenice  gives  a  grand 
banquet  in  the  Praetorium,  that  edifice  being  graciously 
lent  for  the  occasion  by  the  new  procurator,  Antonius 
Julianus,  who,  by  the  way,  talks  of  writing  a  history  " 
of  the  war,  thereby  entering  into  rivalry  with  Josephus. 
You  and  I  are  invited  to  this  entertainment ;  in  truth, 
if  you  are  absent,  Berenice  will  suffer  sore  disappoint- 
ment, seeing  that  she  hath  prepared  a  little  mortifica- 
tion for  you.  She  hath  decreed  that  her  slave  Vashti 
shall  wait  as  cup-bearer  upon  the  chief  guests." 

"  May  the  intended  humiliation  fall  upon  Berenice's 
own  head ! " 

"  So  say  I.    What  hath  our  pretty  Vashti  done  that 


Justice  the  Avenger  357 

she  should  be  thus  shamed?  I  confess  I  am  beginning 
to  dislike  the  princess,  whom  I  once  so  much  admired. 
You  must  certainly  put  your  plan  into  operation  to- 
morrow night.  In  the  face  of  all  the  company  claim 
Berenice  as  your  wife,  and  assert  your  authority  over 
her,  to  the  confusion  of  Titus.  She  is  desirous,  so  'tis 
said,  of  providing  her  guests  with  a  rare  entertainment ; 
it's  very  likely  she'll  succeed." 

Crispus,  determined  to  adopt  this  scheme — ^he  blinked 
its  difficulties — impatiently  awaited  the  moment  for 
putting  it  into  execution. 

When  the  time  fixed  for  the  banquet  drew  near, 
Crispus,  assuming  his  whitest  and  handsomest  toga, 
with  its  broad  purple  border,  went,  accompanied  by 
Rufus,  to  that  palace,  still  called,  though  its  founder 
had  been  seventy  years  dead,  Herod's  Praetorium. 

Upon  entering  he  found  that  the  scene  of  the  feast 
was  the  same  as  that  in  which  Florus  had  held  his 
banquet. 

It  was  malice  that  made  Berenice  choose  this  hall; 
the  very  place  that  had  seen  Vashti  hailed  as  the  queen 
of  beauty  was  now  to  see  her  degraded  to  the  condition 
of  a  slave,  compelled  to  wait  upon  the  princess  whose 
charms  had  been  slighted  by  Crispus,  while  Crispus 
himself  was  invited  to  look  on  and  behold  her  humilia- 
tion. 

He  smiled  within  himself.  The  sequel  would  show 
whose  was  to  be  the  humiliation. 

The  banquet-hall  presented  a  brilliant  scene, 
thronged  as  it  was  with  all  the  brave  captains  who  had 
taken  part  in  the  war,  and  with  fair  ladies  whose  richly 
dyed  robes  afforded  a  perpetual  feast  of  color. 

Crispus  and  his  companion  arrived  just  as  the  guests 
were  preparing  to  take  their  places  at  the  various 
triclinia. 

Berenice  was  there,  moving  with  a  proud  and  stately 
step,  and,  as  though  she  were  already  an  empress,  wear- 
ing an  Eastern  diadem  upon  her  dark  hair. 


358  The  Doomed  City 

By  her  side  walked  the  laureled  Titus,  clad  in  im- 
perial purple,  and  seemingly  in  excellent  spirits,  though 
he  suddenly  started  as  he  caught  sight  of  Crispus,  and 
over  his  face  came  a  guilty  look  which  Rufus  inter- 
preted in  his  own  way. 

"  Ashamed  of  himself  at  stealing  his  friend's  wife. 
Though  he  be  Csesar,  and  my  commander,  I  shall  rejoice 
if  he  meet  by  and  by  with  deserved  discomfiture." 

Crispus  and  Rufus  were  allotted  places  next  each 
other,  not,  however,  at  the  chief  triclinium  where  were 
Titus,  Berenice,  Agrippa,  Alexander,  and  others,  but 
at  an  adjacent  triclinium,  an  arrangement  that  suited 
the  two  friends,  who  were  thus  enabled  to  talk  with 
more  freedom  than  they  could  have  enjoyed  at  Caesar's 
table. 

At  the  same  triclinium  with  Crispus  was  Josephus, 
who  had  his  place  next  to  the  Roman. 

"  Do  you  know  the  humiliation  intended  for  Vashti  ?  " 
asked  Crispus. 

Josephus  signified  assent,  adding: 

"  Aware  that  your  presence  here  will  save  her,  I  can 
await  the  issue  with  a  serene  mind." 

"  Rufus,"  whispered  Crispus  to  his  friend,  "  you  have 
been  communicating  our  plan  to  Josephus." 

But  as  Rufus  gave  an  emphatic  denial  to  this,  Cris- 
pus was  not  a  little  puzzled  by  the  words  of  Josephus. 

By  the  side  of  the  historian  sat  a  stately  and  ven- 
erable dame. 

"  My  mother,"  remarked  Josephus,  "  and  her  pur- 
pose in  being  here  is  the  same  as  mine,"  he  added 
with  a  mysterious  smile,  "  to  obtain  Vashti's  freedom." 

It  seemed  from  this  that  Josephus,  too,  had  some 
plan  for  delivering  his  ward  from  Berenice's  hands. 
What  was  the  nature  of  the  plan,  and  was  it  likely  to 
succeed.'*  But  to  all  questioning  Josephus  remained 
provokingly  evasive,  so  that  Crispus  was  fain  to  hold 
his  soul  in  patience. 

It  soon  became  clear,  however,  from  the  conversa- 


Justice  the  Avenger  359 

tion  of  Josephus,  that  he  was  animated  by  a  spirit  of 
bitter  hostility  to  Berenice,  caused  by  her  patronage 
of  those  amphitheatrical  games  in  which  Jews  were  piti- 
lessly butchered.  Titus,  too,  came  in  for  a  share  of  his 
animadversions. 

"  He  hath  ordered  that  the  didrachmas  which  every 
adult  Jew  is  accustomed  to  pay  annually  into  the  temple 
treasury,  shall  now  be  paid  into  the  temple  of  the 
Capitoline  Jupiter.  You,  as  a  Christian,  can  under- 
stand the  feeling  of  the  Jew  in  this  matter.  And  the 
golden  cherubim  that  overshadowed  the  mercy  seat  he 
hath  given  to  the  heathen ;  the  sacred  figures  which  none 
but  the  high  priest  was  permitted  to  see  are  now  pro- 
fanely placed  as  a  trophy  over  the  eastern  gate  of 
Antioch,  so  that  it  is  beginning  to  be  known  as  the 
Gate  of  the  Cherubim.  And  nigh  to  it  he  hath  dedi- 
cated a  chariot  to  the  Moon,  for  the  help  which  she 
hath  given  him  during  the  siege.  The  moon,  for- 
sooth ! " 

The  signal  for  the  feast  was  now  given,  and  richly 
clad  slaves,  both  male  and  female,  moved  to  and  fro, 
attentive  to  the  wants  of  the  guests. 

*'  I  do  not  see  Vashti,"  whispered  Crispus  to  Jo- 
sephus. 

"  She  will  not  enter  till  the  drinking  begins." 

Gay  conversation  went  on  all  around,  but  Crispus 
took  little  or  no  part  in  it.  Vashti !  Vashti !  was  the 
one  thought  of  his  mind. 

At  last  repletion  came  to  the  guests ;  both  the  heavier 
and  the  lighter  dishes  were  removed  from  the  tables  to 
make  way  for  the  wines. 

"  And  now,  my  lords,"  cried  Berenice,  addressing 
those  at  her  own  triclinium,  but  speaking  sufficiently 
loud  for  Crispus  to  hear,  "  I  have  a  rare  vintage  for 
you,  to  be  offered  by  a  cup-bearer  as  graceful  as  Hebe 
herself." 

Among  a  crowd  of  wine-bearing  slaves  that  now 
entered   the   hall    Crispus    distinguished   the    form    of 


360  The  Boomed  City 

Vashti.  Quickly  the  slaves  spread  themselves  to  right 
and  left,  each  going  to  his  appointed  place. 

Of  the  thousand  persons  in  the  banquet-hall  Crispus 
saw  but  one  only — the  fair  girl  that  was  moving  with 
a  light,  graceful  step  towards  the  chief  triclinium. 

Vashti,  but  how  different  from  her  appearance  when 
last  seen  by  him!  The  disfigurement  wrought  by  the 
famine  had  vanished;  she  was  her  own  sweet  self  once 
more. 

The  charming  grace  and  beauty  of  her  figure  were 
set  off  by  a  clinging  robe  of  pure  white  silk,  richly 
embroidered  with  gold,  and  girt  at  the  waist  with  a 
broad,  silver-sparkling  zone.  A  necklace  of  pearls  en- 
circled her  fair  throat,  and  a  wreath  of  violets  rested 
upon  her  golden  ringlets. 

She  was  the  living  picture  of  beauty ;  from  the  crown 
of  her  head  to  her  dainty,  gold-embroidered  sandals 
there  was  not  a  flaw  to  mar  her  radiant  loveliness. 

The  eyes  of  Josephus'  mother  glistened  with  pleasure 
at  the  success  of  the  toilet  for  which  she  was  responsible, 
the  good  dame  having  resolved  that  Vashti  should  ap- 
pear at  her  fairest  before  the  guests. 

As  Vashti  caught  Crispus'  look  she  gave  him  a  smile 
that  sent  the  blood  coursing  like  liquid  fire  through  his 
veins ;  it  was  a  smile  that  showed  she  had  no  fear ;  a 
smile  that  seemed  to  say  she  knew  that  he  could  and 
would  save  her.  Was  she  aware  of  his  intentions?  he 
wondered,  or  was  she  reljnng  upon  the  aid  of  Josephus  ? 

Berenice,  with  a  sudden  uneasiness  at  her  heart,  be- 
gan all  too  late  to  wish  that  she  had  kept  her  slave 
from  appearing  at  this  banquet,  for  Vashti's  beauty 
drew  murmurs  of  admiration  from  the  men,  if  not  from 
the  women. 

"Ye  gods!  who  is  this.?"  said  Tiberius  Alexander. 
*'  I  did  not  know,  princess,  that  you  had  invited  Venus 
to  be  a  guest." 

"  'Tis  only  one  of  my  slaves,"  replied  Berenice,  out- 
yf&vdlj  calm,  inwardly  thrilling  with  jealousy. 


Justice  the  Avenger  361 

"  A  slave !  "  said  Alexander,  with  the  light  of  ama- 
tory desire  leaping  into  his  eyes.  "  I'll  give  you  ten 
thousand  aurei  for  her — fifteen  thousand,"  he  added, 
breathlessly. 

"  I  would  not  take  a  hundred  myriads,"  replied  Bere- 
nice, coldly.     "  She  is  not  for  sale." 

At  this  moment  the  murmur  of  tongues  ceased 
throughout  the  hall.  The  guests,  catching  sight  of 
Berenice's  dark  face,  became  suddenly  silent,  desirous 
of  discovering  what  was  amiss. 

The  princess  rose  to  her  feet,  and  angrily  faced  the 
slave  who  was  disobeying  her  on  two  points — she  was 
wearing  a  costume  different  from  that  enjoined  her, 
and  she  lacked  the  flagon  of  wine  that  it  was  her  duty 
to  bear. 

"  By  whose  leave  do  you  wear  that  dress  ?  " 

"  By  my  own,"  replied  Vashti,  with  a  sweet  smile 
that  maddened  the  other.  "  Why  should  I  consult 
you,  princess,  as  to  what  manner  of  raiment  I  must 
wear.?  " 

It  was  a  revelation  to  Crispus  to  hear  the  hitherto 
submissive  and  gentle  Vashti  taking  this  bold  stand, 
and  he  loved  her  the  more  for  it.  There  was  no  tremor 
in  her  voice,  nor  did  she  shrink  in  the  least  from  the 
fierce  gaze  of  the  princess.  Indeed,  Vashti,  in  her 
proud  fearlessness,  looked  at  that  moment  far  more 
of  a  princess  than  did  Berenice.  What  wonderful  power 
was  it  that  enabled  her  thus  to  brave  a  mistress  who, 
if  she  chose,  could  order  her  off  to  instant  scourging? 

"  You  dare  speak  thus  to  me?  "  exclaimed  Berenice 
amazedly.  "  O,  I  see.  A  freewoman  all  these  years, 
you  cannot  yet  realize  that  you  are  a  slave.  I  will 
overlook  your  offense.  Go !  Bring  hither  the  flagon 
of  wine  that  you  were  bidden  to  pour  out  for  my 
guests." 

But  Vashti  shook  her  pretty  golden  tresses,  and  cast 
an  arch  smile  at  those  reclining  at  Berenice's  triclinium. 

"  Nay,  verily,  if  they  desire  the  wine  let  them  wait 


362  The  Boomed  City 

upon  themselves ;  or  perhaps  you,  princess,  will  play  the 
part  of  cup-bearer." 

Berenice  stood  completely  dumfounded  at  these  au- 
dacious words  from  one  who  had  hitherto  behaved  as 
her  submissive  slave.  The  men  looked  on  with  smiles  of 
wonder  and  amusement ;  the  women  were  more  disposed 
to  side  with  the  princess. 

"  The  slave  claims  to  be  a  Christian,"  sneered 
Agrippa  to  a  fair  lady  by  his  side. 

"  That  explains  her  insolence,"  replied  his  partner. 
"  I  once  had  one  of  those  creatures  among  my  house- 
hold, and  know  the  trouble  they  give.  Were  I  the 
princess,  I  would  whip  the  new  religion  out  of  her." 

"  The  girl  must  be  mad,"  exclaimed  Berenice.  "  On 
your  knees  and  cry  pardon,  or " 

Vashti  turned  disdainfully  away. 

"  It  has  pleased  me  for  a  time  to  abide  in  your  house 
as  a  slave,"  said  she.  "  It  pleases  me  now  to  resume 
my  freedom.  Give  your  commands  to  others.  There 
is  but  one  person  here  who  shall  have  my  obedience,  and 
that  is  my  lord  Crispus." 

She  walked  to  where  Crispus  stood — for  he  had  risen 
to  his  feet — laid  an  appealing  hand  upon  his  arm,  and 
looked  with  trusting  eyes  into  his.  The  supreme  mo- 
ment had  come!  But  how  was  he  to  save  her.''  His 
plan  had  melted  into  thin  air.  It  was  all  very  well  to 
claim  Berenice  as  his  wife,  but  the  cold  conviction  sud- 
denly struck  him  that  his  claim  was  based  not  upon 
proof,  but  upon  conjecture  merely.  If  Berenice  chose 
to  deny  his  statement,  as  she  undoubtedly  would,  how 
could  he  make  his  word  good  ?  He  turned  his  eyes  upon 
Josephus,  but  that  priest  made  no  movement,  uttered 
no  word.     "  Not  yet,"  he  seemed  to  be  saying. 

"  Guards !  "  cried  Berenice,  addressing  some  of  her 
own  soldiers,  who  were  stationed  at  intervals  along  the 
wall  of  the  banqueting  chamber.  "  Drag  yon  girl 
away,  and  bring  whips  hither.  Since  her  defiance  of 
me  is  public,  so,  too,  shall  her  scourging  be." 


Justice  the  Avenger  363 

Even  these  words  did  not  disturb  Vashti's  serenity. 
Her  pitying  smile,  implying  as  it  did  that  she  was 
secure  from  the  threatened  punishment,  lashed  Berenice 
into  a  secret  fur3\ 

During  all  this  time  the  greatest  man  at  the  feast, 
Titus,  had  remained  silent,  looking  on  perplexed  and 
uneasy.  The  redemption  of  Vashti,  though  he  had 
often  asked  for  it,  was  a  favor  Berenice  would  not 
grant  him.  He  was  sorry  for  Crispus,  and  secretly 
sympathized  with  the  daring  maid  who  was  seeking  to 
assert  her  liberty,  but  under  the  influence  of  his  passion 
for  Berenice  he  hesitated  to  do  the  right  thing,  namely, 
to  declare  Vashti  free. 

As  the  soldiers  came  forward  to  execute  Berenice's 
command,  Vashti  turned  to  Titus  and  addressed  him. 

"  Csesar,  bid  these  men  stay  their  hand  till  I  have 
spoken.  I  have  that  to  say  which  will  show  the  justice 
of  my  cause." 

At  a  sign  from  Titus  the  advancing  guards  paused. 

"  Say  on,"  he  commanded,  hoping  that  Vashti  might 
somehow  be  able  to  furnish  him  with  a  plausible  pretext 
for  delivering  her  from  the  power  of  Berenice. 

Verily,  Vashti  seemed  to  be  doing  the  work  from 
which  Crispus  shrank;  for  she  began  to  address  Titus 
with  a  catechism  very  similar  to  what  Crispus  himself 
would  have  employed  had  he  carried  out  his  plan  as 
originally  intended. 

"  Have  you  forgotten,  sire,  a  brief  visit  made  by 
you  and  my  lord  Crispus  to  a  house  called  Beth-tamar 
on  a  certain  night  more  than  four  years  ago.''  " 

Titus  started;  he  guessed  what  was  coming,  and 
frowned. 

"  I  have  not  forgotten  it,"  said  he,  with  a  side  glance 
at  Berenice,  whose  lip  curved  with  the  scornful  smile 
as  of  one  who  should  say,  "  That  silly  story !  " 

"  You  can  testify  that  my  lord  Crispus  wedded  at 
Beth-tamar  a  woman  unknown  to  him? — unknown,  be- 
cause she  was  veiled  and  spake  never  a  word." 


364  The  Boomed  City 

This  strange  and  romantic  statement  caused  a  mur- 
mur of  surprise  and  wonder  to  run  around  the  banquet- 
hall. 

*'  I  can  testify  to  that,"  said  Titus,  with  the  air  of 
one  who  would  fain  deny  what  he  was  affirming. 

"Do  you  know  the  name  of  the  woman .^  " 

"  I  do  not,"  replied  Titus,  with  another  side  glance 
at  Berenice,  which  set  some  of  the  guests  wondering  as 
to  whether  she  were  the  mysterious  bride. 

At  this  point  Berenice,  with  a  gesture  of  impatience, 
addressed  Titus. 

"  What  hath  all  this  to  do  with  the  question  of  pun- 
ishing an  insolent  slave?" 

"  Everything,  as  you  will  see,"  returned  Vashti 
quietly,  continuing  her  questions  to  Titus.  "  Did  not 
Crispus  give  his  bride  a  ring,  saying  that  when  the 
unknown  lady  should  come  to  him  with  the  said  ring 
he  would  acknowledge  her  as  his  wife?  " 

"  That  is  so." 

Vashti,  with  eyes  shining  with  love,  and  with  a  tender 
smile  that  made  her  face  the  more  beautiful,  turned  to 
Crispus,  and,  withdrawing  her  hand  from  a  fold  of 
her  dress  where  it  had  lain  concealed,  she  held  it  forth, 
and  there,  sparkling  on  her  finger,  was  the  very  ring 
that  he  had  given  to  his  bride  at  Beth-tamar ! 

Scarcely  able  to  grasp  the  momentous  truth  Crispus 
stood  like  one  enchanted  to  stone,  silently  staring  at 
Vashti  and  her  ring.  To  think  that  his  marriage  with 
Berenice,  the  ugly  black  incubus  that  had  so  long  op- 
pressed him,  was  the  mere  figment  of  his  own  imagina- 
tion !  that  the  sweet  Christian  maiden,  whom  he  had 
loved  from  the  first  hour  of  seeing  her,  should  be  his 
wife,  was  a  revelation  so  astounding  that  it  was  no 
wonder  that  at  first  he  could  not  give  it  credence. 

Vashti  gave  a  low,  sweet  laugh  at  his  bewilderment. 

"  I  am  your  wife,  Crispus.    Won't  you  protect  me?  " 

Protect  her? 

He  put  his  arm  about  her  waist — a  dozen  men  could 


Justice  the  Avenger  365 

not  have  torn  her  from  his  grasp ! — and  turned  to  face 
Berenice,  who  for  the  moment  was  almost  as  much 
bewildered  and  amazed  as  Crispus  himself. 

"  Prettily  acted !  "  sneered  she.  "  A  scheme,  artfully 
preconcerted,  for  the  purpose  of  robbing  me  of  my 
slave.  But  it  shall  not  succeed.  That  Crispus  wedded 
someone  at  Beth-tamar  we  must  believe,  since  Csesar 
himself  affirms  it ;  but  I  require  something  more  than 
this  girl's  word,  ere  I  shall  believe  her  to  be  the  wife 
of  Crispus." 

"  I  can  confirm  her  statement,"  said  Josephus,  inter- 
vening at  this  point,  "  since  it  was  I  who  conducted 
Vashti  to  Beth-tamar,  and  from  behind  a  curtain  saw 
her  wedded  to  the  lord  Crispus.  And  the  woman  who 
attended  Vashti  during  the  ceremony  was  my  mother, 
who  is  here  present  to  bear  her  testimony,  if  need  be." 

"  And  in  the  mouth  of  two  or  three  witnesses  shall 
every  word  be  established,  princess,"  remarked  Alex- 
ander. 

Berenice  though  striving  to  maintain  a  calm  exterior, 
was  nevertheless  full  of  a  secret  rage  at  finding  her 
intended  victim  slipping  from  her  hands. 

"  What  if  she  be  the  wife  of  Crispus .''  She  is  none 
the  less  my  slave." 

"What?  Rob  a  Roman  noble  of  his  wife.''"  inter- 
jected Alexander.     "  O,  too  bad!" 

"  At  the  time  I  made  the  gift  I  knew  not  that  she 
was  the  wife  of  Crispus,"  remarked  Titus,  not  at  all 
displeased  with  the  turn  events  were  taking. 

"  That  matters  not,"  returned  Berenice.  "  The  gift, 
if  made  in  due  legal  form,  as  this  was,  can  be  revoked 
neither  by  you  nor  by  a  court  of  law." 

Crispus  smiled  pityingly  at  the  baffled  princess. 

"  I  have  here,"  said  he,  drawing  forth  a  papyrus- 
scroll,  "  a  document  that  bears  a  date  long  anterior 
to  the  time  when  Vashti  was  made  a  slave,  a  document 
that  threatens  death  to  those  who  seek  to  take  the 
wife  of  Crispus  from  him.     It  bears  the  autograph  sig- 


366  The  Boomed  City 

nature  of  one  whose  authority  not  even  Titus  Caesar 
himself  will  venture  to  dispute,  for  the  signature  is  that 
of  his  august  sire,  Flavins  Vespasian." 

"  That  is  so,"  observed  Tiberius  Alexander,  who  had 
drawn  near,  and  was  inspecting  the  document,  "  and, 
therefore,  it  seems  to  me,"  he  added,  jocularly,  "that 
both  Csesar  and  the  princess,  by  enslaving  the  wife  of 
Crispus,  have  made  themselves  liable  to  the  death  pen- 
alty. Doubtless  Vespasian  will  pardon  the  offenders, 
as  they  acted  in  ignorance.  At  any  rate,  Crispus  is 
entitled  to  lead  away  his  wife;  and  may  good  fortune 
attend  him!  The  bravest  man  in  the  war  has  obtained 
the  fairest  woman  for  his  bride ;  that  is  what  I  say, 
and  who  will  controvert  it?"  he  added,  looking  round 
upon  the  guests. 

"  None !  None !  "  was  the  answer  that  came  from 
every  side.  Vashti's  romantic  story  appealed  to  every 
heart,  save  one;  even  those  ladies  who,  a  few  minutes 
before,  had  been  most  opposed  to  her,  now  joined  in  the 
acclamations  that  greeted  the  happy  pair  thus 
strangely  reunited. 

"  Take  me  away,"  whispered  Vashti.  "  Anywhere, 
so  that  it  be  from  here." 

Crispus  responded  to  her  appeal.  Drawing  her  arm 
within  his  own,  he  passed  smilingly  from  the  hall  amid 
cries  of  "  Long  live  the  brave  Crispus  and  his  fair 
bride!" 

Miserable  Berenice !  Her  bitterness  of  spirit  at  that 
moment  received  but  little  balm  from  Titus'  gay  whis- 
per, "  There  is  now  no  obstacle  to  our  union,"  for  she 
had  known  all  along  that  the  obstacle  had  never  existed 
save  in  his  own  imagination. 

In  the  moonlit  gardens  of  the  Praetorium  Crispus  and 
Vashti,  seated  in  the  very  same  spot  where  they  had 
sat  four  years  before,  were  holding  a  delightful  con- 
versation. 

Vashti  was   reclining  within  his  embrace,  her  little 


Justice  the  Avenger  367 

hand  resting  within  his.  The  early  Christians  were 
very  human ! 

"  And  to  think  that  during  all  this  time  you  have 
been  my  wife,  and  I  knew  it  not.  Why  did  you  not 
reveal  the  truth  earlier  ?  " 

"  Because,  like  yourself,  I  was  bound  to  secrecy  for 
three  years." 

"  But  that  time  limit  had  gone  by  when  I  rescued 
you  from  Jerusalem." 

"  True,"  replied  Vashti,  the  brightness  of  her  face 
becoming  dimmed  for  a  moment  by  that  mournful  remi- 
niscence, "  but  was  that  a  time  to  be  talking  love  and 
wedlock.''  I  resolved  to  keep  the  secret  till  the  siege 
should  be  over." 

"  I  am  not  sure  that  you  were  right  in  doing  so. 
The  making  it  known  Avould  have  saved  you  from  the 
hands  of  Berenice.     Tell  me,  how  has  she  used  you.''" 

"  Not  ill,  though  she  would  taunt  me  at  times  with 
your  name,  and  threaten  to  whip  the  Christianity  out 
of  me." 

"  But  why  did  you  not  set  j'^ourself  free  earlier,  by 
sending  me  the  ring.''  " 

"  Because  she  was  always  saying  that  she  would  give 
a  grand  entertainment  at  which  I  should  serve  as  a 
slave  while  you  should  look  helplessly  on ;  she  seemed 
to  take  such  delight  in  the  notion  that  I  resolved  to 
await  the  coming  of  this  feast ;  it  would  furnish  me  with 
an  excellent  opportunity  of  asserting  my  freedom  and 
of  giving  her  a  startling  surprise." 

"  You  have  certainly  succeeded  in  doing  that,  my 
little  wife." 

"  ^m  I  your  wife,  Crispus-f*"  said  Vashti  gravely. 
"  Was  not  that  ceremony  at  Beth-tamar  somewhat 
heathenish  in  character.''  " 

"  You  speak  truth,  dearest.  We  must  have  the  bless- 
ing of  the  Church  on  our  union.  To-morrow  we  will 
set  out  for  Jerusalem,  where  the  good  bishop  Simeon 
shall  join  our  hands." 


368  The  Doomed  City 

At  this  point  a  centurion  made  his  appearance  with 
a  message  to  the  effect  that  Titus  desired  the  presence 
of  Crispus  and  his  lady. 

Responding,  though  with  considerable  reluctance,  to 
this  summons,  the  two  repaired  to  the  Ivory  Hall,  where 
they  found  Titus  seated  beside  Berenice  with  Josephus 
standing  near. 

"  Be  seated,  noble  Crispus  and  the  lady  Vashti." 

Titus  spoke  with  genuine  affability ;  as  for  Berenice 
her  disdainful  air  showed  that  the  presence  or  the 
absence  of  the  pair  was  a  matter  alike  of  indifference 
to  her. 

"  I  have  asked  Josephus,"  began  Titus,  when  the 
centurion  had  withdrawn,  leaving  the  five  together,  "  to 
tell  me  the  meaning  of  the  strange  business  at  Beth- 
tamar.  He  is  very  urgent  that  you  also  should  be 
present  to  hear  him.     Hence  my  sending  for  you." 

With  that  he  nodded  to  the  priest  as  a  sign  for  him 
to  proceed. 

"  It  may  be,  sire,"  began  Josephus,  "  that  what  I 
have  to  say  will  give  sharp  offense  to  one  of  my  hear- 
ers." Crispus  guessed  that  Berenice  was  meant. 
"  Therefore,  ere  I  begin,  I  must  receive  assurance  from 
you  that  the  utterance  shall  not  bring  punishment  upon 
the  utterer." 

"  Say  what  thou  wilt ;  abuse  me,  if  it  please  thee ; 
thy  tongue  shalt  have  free  license  to-night." 

Assured  thus,  Josephus  began. 

"  I  have  but  lately  returned,  O  Cssar,  from  a  visit 
to  Pontus,  where  it  was  my  fortune  to  meet  with  Zeno, 
the  secretary  of  the  royal  Polemo,  and  seemingly  a 
man  well  acquainted  with  the  secrets  of  the  late  king. 
It  is  partly  from  this  Zeno,  and  partly  from  my  own 
knowledge,  that  I  derive  the  materials  for  the  story 
I  am  about  to  relate." 

At  the  mention  of  the  names  Polemo  and  Zeno,  Bere- 
nice, who  had  hitherto  betrayed  a  languid  indifference, 
began  to  appear  as  if  keenly  interested. 


Justice  the  Avenger  369 

"  Many  years  ago — twenty-three,  to  give  the  exact 
number — the  Princess  Berenice,  then  in  her  twentieth 
year,  married  Polemo,  king  of  Pontus,  who,  after  two 
years,  repudiated  her,  for  a  reason  the  princess  herself 
knows." 

Here  Josephus  ceased  speaking,  checked  by  Bere- 
nice's haughty  and  indignant  stare. 

"  Is  it  necessary  to  bring  my  name  into  your  narra- 
tion.? " 

"  Absohitely  necessary." 

"  Then  I  will  tell  you  the  reason  of  our  separation. 
He  did  not  repudiate  me ;  I  left  him  of  my  own  free 
will,  left  him  because,  prior  to  our  marriage,  he,  him- 
self a  proselyte,  promised  that  he  would  do  all  in  his 
power  to  bring  the  people  of  Pontus  over  to  Judaism. 
He  failed  to  redeem  his  word,  however — nay,  he  actively 
thwarted  my  attempts  at  proselytism,  and  so  I  left 
him." 

"  Was  there  not  a  daughter  born  of  this  mar- 
riage.'' " 

Berenice's  eyes  flashed  fire. 

"  I  see  plainly  that  your  object  is  to  prejudice  me 
in  the  eyes  of  Titus  by  recalling  a  deed  of  long  ago. 
What  I  did  then  I  do  not  now  regret." 

"  That  is  a  strange  thing  to  say  of  infanticide." 

Berenice  gave  a  cold  hard  laugh  that  caused  Vashti 
to  shiver. 

"  The  exposure  of  infants  is  a  custom  so  common 
among  Romans  that  Titus  will  scarcely  regard  it  as  a 
great  crime." 

"  But  our  law,  princess,  regards  it  as  murder." 

"  And  I  regard  my  deed  as  a  justifiable  one,  for  in 
destroying  the  body  of  the  infant  I  saved  its  soul. 
Polemo,  who  had  seceded  from  Judaism,  and  had  grown 
to  hate  both  me  and  my  religion,  swore  that  he  would 
bring  up  the  child  in  his  own  Hellenic  faith,  and  would 
teach  it  to  hate  the  religion  of  its  mother.  I  resolved 
to  save  it  from  such  fate,  and  took  the  only  possible 


370  The  Doomed  City 

way — I  exposed  it  one  winter's  night  among  the  snowy 
crags  of  Hermon." 

Vashti  gave  a  faint  little  gasp — inaudible  to  Bere- 
nice— and  her  heart  almost  ceased  its  beating.  Not 
even  when  coming  home  on  that  dreadful  night  to  find 
Arad  gone  forever  did  she  feel  more  horror  than  she 
felt  at  this  moment.  To  learn  that  she  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  a  woman  so  unnatural  as  to  expose  her  own 
child  to  death!  to  learn  that  it  was  her  own  mother 
who  had  been  pursuing  her  with  a  malignant  aim !  to 
learn  that  she  was  a  member  of  that  Herodian  house 
that  had  never  ceased  persecuting  Christianity  from 
its  very  beginning !  to  know  that  her  mother  was  at 
that  very  moment  living  in  open  sin  with  the  destroyer 
of  her  country ! — all  this  rushed  with  her  blood,  nearly 
causing  her  to  shriek  aloud. 

Josephus  continued  his  narration. 

"  The  loss  of  the  child — for  he  had  loved  it  as  the 
apple  of  his  eye — threw  Polemo  into  a  fever,  which,  so 
it  seems  to  me,  crazed  his  brain,  for  it  left  him  animated 
by  one  passion  only — a  desire  to  be  revenged  upon  the 
woman  who  had  wronged  him." 

"  Thou  liest,"  interjected  Berenice,  "  for  in  due 
course  of  time,  he  and  I,  as  all  men  can  testify,  grew  to 
be  great  friends." 

"  You  were  deceived,  princess.  He  masked  his  hatred 
under  a  smiling  guise  the  more  effectually  to  conceal 
his  purpose.  Now,  mark  the  result  of  your  deed!  It 
is  true  that  it  was  decreed  in  the  councils  of  the  Most 
High  that  the  city  and  the  temple  should  perish,  but 
the  Most  High  makes  use  of  human  instruments  to 
work  out  His  decrees ;  and  yours,  princess,  has  been 
the  hand  that  has  wrought  the  ruin  of  Israel." 

There  was  in  Josephus'  manner  something  so  solemn 
and  convincing,  that  all  Berenice's  hauteur  and  defiance 
vanished,  leaving  her  nearly  as  pale  and  trembling  as 
the  daughter  that  was  as  yet  unknown  to  her. 

"  How  mean  you.''  "  she  faltered. 


Justice  the  Avenger  3T1 

"  It  was  our  common  religion,  so  Polerao  erroneously 
argued,  that  had  destroyed  his  child;  he  would  there- 
fore destroy  our  religion. 

"  Nothing  was  dearer  to  you,  so  you  had  once  said 
to  him,  than  the  holy  city,  and  the  holy  temple ;  he 
resolved  to  bring  destruction  both  upon  that  city  and 
upon  that  temple. 

"  How  could  he  effect  it? 

"  There  was  but  one  way ;  the  Jewish  people  must 
be  goaded  into  war,  a  war  in  which  their  capital  must 
sink  in  flames. 

"  This  is  the  key  to  Polemo's  frequent  visits  to 
Judaea ;  to  his  friendship  with  successive  procurators — 
Felix,  Festus,  Albinus.  With  these,  however,  he  failed 
to  effect  his  purpose,  but  at  last  in  Florus  he  found 
the  tool  he  wanted.  While  you,  princess,  were  on  one 
side  of  that  procurator,  winning  him  to  acts  of  clem- 
ency, Polemo  was  on  the  other,  urging  him  to  deeds 
of  blood;  all  the  provocative  acts  of  Florus  were  due 
to  the  secret,  the  wicked  policy  of  the  Pontic  king." 

These  words  caused  a  deepening  of  Vashti's  horror. 
To  think  that  she  was  the  daughter  of  a  king  so  cold- 
blooded as  deliberately  to  plan  the  extirpation  of  a 
Avhole  nation,  and  all,  so  it  seemed,  on  her  account ! 

At  this  point  Titus  inter\'ened. 

"  This  secret  history  is  doubtless  interesting,  but 
what  hath  it  to  do  with  Beth-tamar.''  " 

"  I  am  coming  to  it,  O  Csesar.  It  chanced  in  course 
of  time  that  the  Princess  Berenice  met  my  lord  Crispus 
at  a  banquet  at  Antioch  and  became  enamored  of  him." 

Berenice  gave  a  scornful  laugh ;  but  the  statement 
was  true,  and  her  laugh  deceived  no  one.  "  Polemo 
suspected  this.  Now,  he  had  already  in  mind  selected 
the  son  of  his  friend,  Cestius  the  Legate,  to  be  his 
successor  in  the  sovereignty  of  Pontus,  and  it  did  not 
suit  his  policy  that  Berenice  should  marry  Crispus,  and 
thus  again  wear  the  crown  that  she  had  once  despised. 
He  therefore  resolved  to  thwart  her  aim.     While  think- 


372  The  Doomed  Cittj 

ing  how  he  might  best  succeed  in  this  matter,  he  hap- 
pened to  pay  a  visit  to  Jerusalem,  and  there,  by  a 
singular  turn  of  destiny,  he  saw  one  day  in  the  temple- 
courts  a  maiden  who  immediately  arrested  his  attention 
from  the  marvelous  resemblance  she  bore  to  his  mother 
Pythodoris  in  her  youthful  days.  Avoiding  the  maiden 
herself,  he  made  inquiries  of  others,  and  learned  that 
her  name  was  Vashti,  and  that  she  was  the  ward  of 
him  who  now  addresses  you.  He  sought  me  out  with 
eager  questionings,  and  I  was  forced  to  admit  that  the 
supposed  daughter  of  Hyrcanus  was  in  reality  a  found- 
ling, nor  were  proofs  wanting  to  convince  him  beyond 
all  doubt  that  in  Vashti  he  had  found  his  daughter 
Athenais,  long  supposed  by  him  to  be  dead." 

A  strange  sound  broke  from  Berenice ;  amazement 
caused  her  figure  to  stiffen  into  a  rigid  attitude;  for 
a  few  moments  she  sat  thus,  motionless  and  wordless ; 
then  slowly,  mechanically,  she  turned  her  head  and 
looked  at  Vashti.  And  of  all  the  looks  that  Vashti  had 
ever  received  none  frightened  her  more  than  this ;  it 
was  a  look  without  a  trace  of  maternal  love — cold,  dis- 
dainful, cruel;  a  look  that  said,  as  plainly  as  words 
could  say,  that  she  would  never  acknowledge  the  Naza- 
rene  apostate  as  a  daughter  of  hers. 

"  Polemo,  for  reasons  of  his  own,  did  not  make  him- 
self known  to  his  daughter.  W^hether  he  now  had  any 
affection  for  her  whom,  as  a  babe,  he  had  idolized,  it 
is  hard  to  say;  one  thing  became  clear  to  him;  he  saw 
in  the  daughter  an  instrument  for  the  humiliation  of 
the  mother.  If  he  could  persuade  Crispus  to  marry 
Vashti,  and  to  keep  the  matter  hidden  from  the  world, 
the  fond,  enamored  Berenice  would  be  pursuing  Crispus 
for  months  in  the  vain  endeavor  to  win  him  to  her 
arms,  while  he — Polemo — could  look  on  in  malicious 
enjoyment,  as  knowing  that  her  wiles  were  foredoomed 
to  failure. 

"  Such  was  Polemo's  reason  for  keeping  the  wedding 
a  secret — a  reason  unknown  to  me  at  the  time ;  I  have 


Justice  the  Avenger  373 

learned  it  since  from  Zeno.  Vashti,  too,  was  required 
to  keep  the  matter  hidden,  even  from  her  adopted 
mother,  Miriam.  Vashti,  being  my  ward,  was  com- 
pelled to  take  for  her  husband  the  man  of  my  choice, 
and  though  she  long  resisted  the  notion  of  wedding  a 
heathen  Roman,  I  overcame  her  scruples  at  last  by 
persuading  her  that  her  intended  bridegroom  was  far 
more  virtuous  than  many  a  Jew.  She  therefore  accom- 
panied me  by  night  to  Beth-tamar,  not  knowing  that 
he  who  presided  over  these  nuptials  was  her  father,  not 
knowing  his  name  even,  nor  that  she  had  been  destined 
by  him  to  wear  the  crown  of  a  queen. 

"  All  this  was  to  come  upon  her  later  as  a  delightful 
surprise. 

"  My  story  is  all  but  finished.  It  was  Polemo's  in- 
tention to  stand  beside  Berenice  either  upon  Mount 
Olivet  when  the  temple  was  burning,  or  at  some  palace 
window  in  Rome  when  the  triumphal  procession  was 
sweeping  past,  carrying  the  sacred  spoils  of  the  temple 
— to  stand  beside  her  and  to  tell  her  in  fierce,  exultant 
tones  that  all  this  was  his  work ;  he  would  watch  her 
agony ;  she  was  to  be  the  victim  of  his  laughter,  of  his 
mockery,  of  his  scorn ! 

"  But  this  supreme  and  thrilling  moment  of  revenge 
— this  triumph  that  he  had  so  long  worked  for,  was 
not  to  be  his ;  he  died  ere  the  day  of  his  vengeance 
came. 

"  Caesar,  my  tale  is  said." 

There  was  a  long  silence  in  that  chamber  after  Jo- 
sephus  had  finished  his  narration. 

Titus  looked  at  Berenice  as  if  desiring  her  to  say 
something. 

The  breast  of  that  princess  was  the  seat  of  a  wild 
tumult  of  contending  passions,  but  among  them  there 
was  neither  pity  nor  love  for  her  newly  found  daughter. 

"  It  seems,"  said  she,  with  a  superbly  disdainful  air, 
"  it  seems,  if  the  story  of  Josephus  be  true,  that  I  am 
to  be  presented  with  a  daughter,  but  I  care  not  for 


374  The  Doomed  City 

the  gift.  I  should  be  a  hypocrite  were  I  to  feign  love 
where  love  is  not.  No ;  I  cast  her  away  in  infancy  that 
thereby  I  might  save  her  soul ;  by  becoming  a  Naza- 
rene  she  has  chosen  to  destroy  her  soul ;  let  her  still 
remain  a  castaway.  Let  her  keep  to  her  own  path  as 
I  shall  keep  to  mine.  I  have  no  daughter ;  that  is  my 
answer  to  her." 

Vashti  was  willing  for  reconcilement,  but  this  cold 
repudiation  kept  her  dumb.  With  divine  pity  in  her 
eyes,  she  looked  at  her  mother,  and  sighed. 

Crispus  made  reply  for  her. 

"  Since  such  is  your  decision,"  said  he,  "  we  will  not 
seek  to  change  It.  Caesar,  I  salute  you.  Come,  Vashti, 
let  us  be  going." 

As  the  two  arose  to  depart,  Titus  walked  over  to 
them,  as  if  not  willing  that  Berenice  should  hear  what 
he  had  to  say. 

"  My  sire,  Vespasian,  knowing  that  you  have  been 
disappointed  in  the  expectation  of  the  crown  of  Pontus, 
has  offered  you  the  thing  that  Is  most  like  it — ^namely, 
the  governorship  of  that  province.  Its  people  will 
be  delighted  when  they  know  that  the  wife  of  the  new 
governor  is  the  granddaughter  of  the  good  queen 
Pythodorls." 

But  Crispus  had  little  desire  for  the  honor ;  he  would 
be  more  happy  with  Vashti  In  his  beautiful  villa  among 
the  Sabine  hills  than  in  presiding  over  the  destinies  of 
the  Pontic  people.  While  thinking  thus,  however,  he 
received  from  Vashti  a  wistful  glance  which  seemed  to 
be  urging  him  to  accept  the  post. 

"  What,  Vashti  ?  Ambitious  that  I  should  sit  in  a 
curule  chair?  " 

"  Yes,"  wlilspered  she,  "  for  If  Crispus  be  ruler  of 
Pontus  there  will  always  be  one  safe  asylum  for  Chris- 
tians." 

"You  speak  wisely,  little  woman,"  replied  he;  and, 
turning  to  Titus,  he  said,  "  Caesar,  I  accept  the  post 
with  all  thankfulness." 


Justice  the  Avenger  375 

Berenice  watched  the  two  as  they  quitted  the  Ivory 
Hall. 

She  never  saw  them  again ! 

After  a  brief  visit  to  Jerusalem,  where  bishop  Simeon 
joined  the  hands  of  the  pair,  Crispus,  accompanied  by 
his  bride,  set  out  for  his  province  of  Pontus,  there  to 
begin  a  long  administration,  whose  wisdom  and  justice 
were  to  win  golden  opinions  from  all  men. 

And  Berenice? 

The  Roman  senate  and  the  Roman  people  soon  made 
short  work  of  her  dream  of  an  imperial  throne !  Their 
anger  at  the  thought  of  a  Jewish  empress  was  so  fiercely 
expressed  that  Titus,  albeit  with  all  reluctance,  was 
compelled  to  banish  her  from  his  presence.*" 

Scorned  by  the  Romans  because  she  came  of  the 
Jewish  people ;  scorned  by  the  Jewish  people  because 
she  had  allied  herself  with  a  Roman ;  branded  with  de- 
served infamy  by  the  poet  Juvenal ;  "  eating  out  her 
heart  over  the  ignominious  ending  of  her  splendid  ambi- 
tion, Berenice  passed  into  a  state  of  obscurity  and 
oblivion.  History  failing  to  record  the  time,  the  place, 
or  the  manner  of  her  death. 


NOTES 


1  The  Talmud. 

2  Told    by    the    heathen    Plu- 

tarch in  his  Cessation  of 
Oracles. 

3  Josephus. — Vita  2. 

4  Acts  XXV.  i6. 

5  Greek  Anthology. — I.  77. 

6  Acts  xxiii.  14. 

7  Flaccus,       pro-Consul       of 

Asia,  for  example. — 
Cicero.    Pro   Flacco. 

8  The    ancient    usage    in    the 

Jerusalem  synagogues  of 
anathematizing  Christ  and 
the  Christians  is  said  by 
some  to  have  originated, 
not  with  Simeon,  but  with 
his  father  Gamaliel,  a 
statement  scarcely  recon- 
cilable  with   Acts   V.  38. 

9  A   saying   of   Simeon's,   ac- 

cording to  the  Talmud. 

10  The  Talmud. 

11  Jos. — Bell.    Jud.    vi.    5,    3. 

Tac— Hist.  V.  13.  Lvike 
xxi.   II. 

12  Zech.  xi.  I  was,   according 

to  the  Talmud,  referred  by 
Johanan  ben  Zacchai  to 
this  mysterious  opening  of 
the  temple  doors. 

13  Josephus. — Bell.  Jud.  ii.  15. 

14  At    this    point    Florus    dis- 

appears from  history,  and 
therefore  from  these  pages. 
It  is  not  known  what  be- 
came of  him. 

15  Acts  xxiii.  3. 

16  Josephus. — Bell.  Jud. n.  17,  g. 

17  Josephus. — Bell.  Jud.  v.  9,  4. 

18  Josephus. — Bell.  Jud.  \\.  19,7. 

19  So    writes    Hegesippus,    an 

historian  almost  contem- 
porary with  Bishop  Sim- 
eon. 

20  Josephus     actually     applies 

the  Messianic  prophecies  to 
Vespasian  ! — Bell.  Jud.  vi. 
5,  4- 

21  Tacitus. — Hist.  ii.  78. 

22  Tacitus. — Hist.  iv.  81, 


23  Lucent     caliganti     reddidit 

mundo — "  he  restored  light 
to  a  dark  world,"  was  said 
of  Vespasian. — ^Jortin — Ec- 
cles.  Hist.  i.  4. 

24  Josephus. — Bell.  Jud.  vi.  5,3. 

25  It  is  singular  that  Josephus, 

who  has  described  the 
siege  in  such  detail,  should 
have  omitted  the  ceremony 
of  the  Evocation,  which 
must  have  taken  place,  un- 
less the  Romans  departed 
from  all  precedent. 

26  Josephus. — Bell.  Jud.  v.  9,  4. 

27  Eusebius. — Hist.  Eccles.  iii. 

12. 

28  More  than  £5,000  in  English 

currency. 

29  Josephus. — Bell    Jud.  v.  12. 

30  Josephus. — Bell.  Jud.  v.   13, 

7- 

31  Josephus. — Bell.  Jud.  v.  31, 

I. 

32  Sulpicius    Severus    (Chron. 

xxx.  11),  who  is  believed 
by  competent  critics  to  be 
quoting  from  a  lost  portion 
of  the  History  of  Tacitus. 

33  Josephus. — Bell.  Jud.  vi.  4, 

3. 

34  Dean      Milman. — Hist,      of 

Jews.    Book   xvi. 

35  The  Talmud. 

36  Such    is    the    statement    of 

Epiphanius. 

37  Such  appears  to  be  the  be- 

lief of  Renan. — Antichrist, 
xix. 

38  Unfortunately   for   Crispus' 

hopes,  Domitian,  on  his  ac- 
cession, put  Flavius  Clem- 
ens to  death.  The  fate  of 
the  two  sons  is  unknown. 

39  This  history,  £)?  Judceis,  has 

unfortunately,  not  come 
down  to  us. 

40  "  Berenicem  ab  urbe  dimisit 

invitus  invitam." — Suet,  in 
Tit.  vii. 

41  Satire  vi.  156. 


376 


\ 


JHE  WHITE  HOUSE 

WhaelweiuscoiiJ 

'^  SAN  FRANCISCOy 


